The Effectiveness of Brushing and Flossing Sequence on Control of Plaque and Gingival Inflammation (RCT)

Melaka Manipal Medical College

Status: Completed

Conditions: Gingival Bleeding; Plaque; Gingival Inflammation; Plaque Control

Treatments: Other: Flossing first and Brushing later (FB); Other: Brushing first and Flossing later (BF)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Industry

Identifiers

NCT03989427

MMMC/FOD/AR/B6

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the effectiveness of brushing and flossing sequence in the control of dental plaque and gingival inflammation.

Full description

Periodontal disease is the disease of the supporting dental tissues like alveolar bone,periodontal ligament cementum and gingiva. The most common form is plaque-induced gingivitis . Bleeding on gingival probing is one of the hallmarks of gingival inflammation.The removal of dental plaque is the most crucial action for preventing and treating gingival inflammation. Toothbrush along with toothpaste are still the most reliable means of plaque control. However, cleaning should be thorough and performed at regular intervals.

Toothbrush has a limited ability to reach all the areas around the tooth. Inter-dental areas are prone for plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation. Dental floss is one of the most effective tool in addition to tooth brush to remove inter-dental plaque. The sequence of using toothbrush and dental floss may influence the removal of dental plaque and consequently reducing the bleeding on probing of gingiva. There is conflicting evidence in the literature. The hypothesis of this study is that the sequence of brushing and flossing will not influence control of plaque control and gingival inflammation.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 28 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Dental students of Dental school of Melaka-Manipal Medical College

Exclusion criteria

• Participants who had systemic diseases
• Gingivitis or periodontitis
• Use of antibiotics in the past 3 months,
• Pregnancy,
• Smoking
• Orthodontic appliances.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Brushing First and Flossing Later (BF)

Experimental group

Description:

The participants in BF group were asked to use modified bass method of tooth brushing first using Colgate® tooth brush (the amount of Colgate® tooth paste used is half-length of the toothbrush's head) and then floss with Colgate® dental floss using Spool method for a 2-week period. This is followed by a one week wash out period wherein they will practice oral hygiene according to their habitual method. After this cross over is done in which participants will change the sequence to FB wherein they will floss first and brush later.

Treatment:

Other: Brushing first and Flossing later (BF)

Flossing First and Brushing Later (FB)

Experimental group

Description:

The participants in FB group were asked to floss first with Colgate® dental floss using Spool method and then modified bass method of tooth brushing first using Colgate® tooth brush (the amount of Colgate® tooth paste used is half-length of the toothbrush's head) for a 2-week period. This is followed by a one week wash out period wherein they will practice oral hygiene according to their habitual method. After this cross over is done in which participants will change the sequence to BF wherein they will brush first and floss later.

Treatment:

Other: Flossing first and Brushing later (FB)