A comparison of the effectiveness of variable diameter vs. unwaxed floss.

A clinical study was undertaken to compare the effect of a variable diameter dental floss with a conventional unwaxed dental floss in the removal of plaque and the reduction of gingival inflammation in 15 patients who had little or no previous experience with dental floss. Each patient, on a random basis, was instructed in the use of one type of floss in the maxillary arch and the other type of floss in the mandibular arch. Initially and after using the floss for 14 days, plaque and gingivitis were scored using the Plaque and Gingival Index. No significant differences were found in the mean reduction of the Plaque Index or Gingival Index when comparing the effectiveness of a variable diameter dental floss to a conventional unwaxed floss in patients with minimal oral hygiene instruction.