Use and Effectiveness of a Coated, Elastomeric Dental Ribbon Compared to Conventional Dental Floss. Characterization of Dental Floss: before, during and after Use.

Dental floss is used as an adjunct to toothbrushing for the control of plaque and the prevention of dental disease. The literature contains many reports suggesting and supporting the use of dental floss as one method of removing plaque from interproximal surfaces. Although these papers compare the effectiveness of various types of floss. It has been suggested that unwaxed floss is beneficial, very few reports are available which compare the effectiveness of various types of floss. It has been suggested that unwaxed floss is superior to waxed floss in the ability to remove interproximal plaque however, these claims have never been conclusively substantiated. A new dental ribbon has been developed consisting of a polyester film coated with a tacky adhesive. Overall the unwaxed thread floss best illustrated its performance in the oral cavity. Free-flating fibers rubbed, pinched, and entrapped material along and between individual filaments. The waxed thread floss performed the same way but to a lesser extent. Due to the waxy layer, the movement of individual fibers were limited and the amount of inter-fiber space reduced. However, this waxy coating kept the thread intact during positioning and the amount of fraying was reduced in comparison to its unwaxed counterpart.