Using My Dental Floss - Research Paper Example

 Using My Dental Floss Table of Contents I. Introduction ……………………………………………………………… 3 II. Health Advantages of Using Dental Floss as a Daily Oral Hygiene . 3 III. Oral Health Consequences of Not Flossing ………………………….. 4 IV. Motivational Experiences that Successfully Inspired the Researcher to Reach the Goal ……………………………………….. 5 V. Discussion ………………………………………………………………. 6 VI. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………. 7 References ……………………………………………………………………… 8 - 11 Introduction It is necessary to keep our teeth clean and free from decaying of food and plaque organisms in order to prevent the health consequences of developing any of the 125 periodontal diseases and caries. (Yankell, Shi, & Emling, 2002) Due to insufficient oral hygiene such as brushing the teeth for less than one minute (Emling et al., 1981) and the lack of flossing habit (Lang et al., 1989), roughly more than 50% of the U.S. adult population has different types of gingivitis. (Oliver, Brown, & Loe, 1998) Basically, the type of oral care techniques a person practice each day significantly affect the effectiveness of reducing plaque, gingivitis, and flouride retention on teeth. (Sjögren et al., 2004; Sharma et al., 2004) The researcher’s personal goal is to floss every day. For this study, the researcher will discuss the reasons for making flossing a daily habit. In the process, the researcher will conduct a literature review to examine the health advantages of using dental floss as a daily oral hygiene including the oral health consequences of not flossing. Prior to the conclusion, the motivational experiences that successfully inspired the researcher to reach the goal will be discussed. Health Advantages of Using Dental Floss as a Daily Oral Hygiene Toothbrush alone is not enough to remove plaque due to its inability to reach the interproximal spaces between teeth. (Yankell et al., 2000) Even though the studies on the use of dental flossing does not provide a clear explanation of its health benefits (Yankell et al., 2000), the American Dental Association states that dental floss is not considered as an alternative to brushing but an essential part of the regular dental hygiene since it could help reduce caries. (Food and Drug Administration, 2005; Warren & Chater, 1996) In general, the combination of brushing and flossing with either wax or unwaxed floss is said to be more effective than brushing alone. (Carrenza & Newman, 1996; Yankell et al., 1993) Upon testing the efficacy of a new flossing aid called ‘Flosser’ and the use of the traditional finger flossing on the prevention of plaque and gingival inflammantion, the study of Spolsky et al. (1993) shows that there is no clinical signs that could differentiate the result of the two flossing methods in terms of cleaning in-between teeth and the removal of biofilm. In general, a regular tooth brushing, flossing and periodic dental visits could result to a better periodontal health in relation to the reduction of plaque, gingivitis and the level of calculus. (Lang et al., 1995) Particularly the pilot study conducted by Bellamy et al. (2004) concludes that the habit of daily single flossing could significantly reduce quantifiable biomass found in the interproximal areas or the amount of plaque that is formed between the teeth and under the gumline area as compared to a manual brushing alone. In fact, the habit of flossing daily could significantly reduce the presence of bacterial plaque in the mouth as compared to brushing alone. (Bellamy et al., 2004) Oral Health Consequences of Not Flossing One of the main reasons for not practicing dental flossing is because of its tedious mechanical process especially in tight contact points. (Yankell et al., 2002; Yankell et al., 2000; White, 1996) In most cases, it is the patients’ ability and motivation to remove the interproximal plaque that could cause them to suffer from a long list of periodontal diseases. (Warren & Chater, 1996) The removal of interproximal plaque is essential in maintaining a good gingival health, prevention of periodontal diseases as well as in the reduction of caries. (Warren & Chater, 1996) The problem with the absence of dental flossing is that people could unconsciously experience accumulation of plaque due to the fact that tooth brushing alone could not reach the interproximal areas of the teeth. (Saxer & Yankell, 1997) The study of Breuer & Cosgrove (1989) explains that there is a strong correlations that exist between severe gingivitis and the levels of plaque such that for each unit increase in plaque level could result to half unit increase in the development of gingivitis. Eventually, a severe case of gingivitis could lead to the development of periodontitis causing a person to experience a significant bone loss. (Baehni & Takeuchi, 2003; Holt et al., 1988) Motivational Experiences that Successfully Inspired the Researcher to Reach the Goal Periodontal diseases are one of the most serious diseases that are commonly neglected by most Americans. Due to negligence and ignorance about the subject matter, a large portion or 92% of the Americans population has to go through periodontal therapy or surgery caused by the build-up of calculus (tartar) in the mouth. (Oliver et al., 1998) In line with this matter, as much as 50% of the adults who have reached the age of more than 35 years old are already experiencing the early stages of periodontal diseases causing some of them to lose their teeth. (Albandar et al., 1999) Upon knowing the negative consequences of insufficient and poor oral hygiene towards one’s health, the researcher has become totally inspired to go through an early prevention strategy by making it a habit to floss daily. Discussion Since many people are not motivated with the use of dental floss, the study of Warren & Chater (1996) have mentioned that the many clinical and laboratory studies suggests that Braun Oral-B Interclean (ID2) can be used as an alternative to flossing since this device could significantly reduce the development of interproximal plaque including the control of gingivitis. Based on the study of Sharma et al. (2004), even though the group was able to prove that brushing and control rinse alone is less effective than the combination of tooth brushing, flossing and control rinse; this study has concluded that the use of oral antiseptic such as Listerine ® together with brushing and flossing reveals a better effect in terms of reducing the probability of developing gingivitis by 21% and interproximal plaque by 52%. This is due to the ability of oral mouth wash to kill as much as 20 different microorganisms which could lead to the development of plaque and gingivitis. (Pan et al., 2000; Ross et al., 1989) Despite the fact that many studies have reported the positive results of flossing, the study of Hujoel et al. (2006) discussed several possibilities such as the presence of flourides, poor flossing techniques or other factors that could make flossing ineffective in removing the interproximal plaques. In line with this matter, the study of Gisselsson et al. (1994) shows that the practice of flossing infrequently shows some oral health benefits. In fact, Granath et al. (1979) stated that there is no identified anti-caries benefit from flossing. Even though the study of Poulsen et al. (1976) suggests that the level of actual flouride exposure could significantly affect oral health benefits of flossing, this information remains an assumption due to the lack of concrete evidence that could relate the connection between the actual flouride exposure and the use of flossing (Hujoel et al., 2006). In line with this matter, there is really no scientific evidence that could prove that dental flossing could effectively remove caries. (Hujoel et al., 2006; Sackett et al., 2000) Conclusion Proper oral care hygiene is necessary in order to prevent the development of serious dental health problems related to the development of plaques, gingivitis and periodontitis causing a person to experience a significant bone loss. Regular tooth brushing is still considered as the best method to clean teeth. However, due to the inability of toothbrush to reach the interproximal areas of the mouth, there is a strong need to develop a practice of using dental floss in order to effectively remove quantifiable biomass found in the interproximal areas or the amount of plaque that is formed between the teeth and under the gumline area. In order to achieve the best oral care result, the use of Braun Oral-B Interclean (ID2) is highly recommended to those people who fails to practice the use of hand flossing. The use of antiseptic mouth wash such as Literine ® is also another way of effectively preventing the development of oral-related diseases. References: Albandar, J., Brunelle, J., & Kingman, A. (1999). Destructive Periodontal Disease in Adults 30 Years of Age and Older in the United States, 1988 - 1994. Journal of Periodontology , 70:13 - 29. Baehni, P., & Takeuchi, Y. (2003). 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