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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Susan BissettORCiD, Emeritus Professor Robin Seymour
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Dental Hygiene published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Introduction: This randomised, single-blind, controlled study aimed to compare daily adjunctive use of an ultrasonic water irrigation device to dental floss in controlling plaque and gingival inflammation in patients with gingivitis. Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to either daily use of an ultrasonic water irrigator or dental floss as an adjunct to manual toothbrushing for 4 weeks, with periodontal assessment repeated at 1 and 4 weeks after baseline (Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index [PI], Loe and Silness Gingival Index [GI] and bleeding on marginal probing [BOMP]). Results: Sixty-two participants completed the investigation. Statistically significant reductions in total and marginal PI at Weeks 1 and 4 were noted in both groups compared to baseline (p < 0.05) with no significant differences between groups. BOMP and GI scores were likewise significantly reduced in both groups at Weeks 1 and 4 compared to baseline (p < 0.01). However, at Week 4, those using the ultrasonic water irrigator showed a significantly greater reduction in GI scores when compared to the floss group (−0.35 ± 0.26 vs. −0.16 ± 0.25, respectively, p < 0.01) and a significantly greater reduction in BOMP scores when compared to floss (−0.26 ± 0.12 vs. −0.15 ± 0.15, respectively, p < 0.01). Those using the ultrasonic water irrigator also reported easier usage scores (p < 0.05) when compared to the floss group. Conclusion: Daily use of the ultrasonic water irrigator resulted in significantly greater reductions in gingival inflammation (gingival index and BOMP) than dental floss after 4 weeks, whereas plaque removal was similarly effective using the irrigator or floss.
Author(s): Bissett SM, Gulakova P, Unbereit K, Seymour RA, Preshaw PM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: International Journal of Dental Hygiene
Year: 2024
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 29/11/2024
Acceptance date: 19/11/2024
Date deposited: 16/12/2024
ISSN (print): 1601-5029
ISSN (electronic): 1601-5037
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12883
DOI: 10.1111/idh.12883
Data Access Statement: Data subject to third party restrictions. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the authors with the permission of Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under licence for this stud
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