Comparative Efficacy of Dental Flossing Before or After Tooth Brushing on Interproximal Plaque Reduction and Fluoride Retention in That Area

This randomized controlled crossover trial conducted on 25 dental students. in the preliminary session each volunteer was given a toothbrush(Trisa, soft, Switzerland) and toothpaste(Pooneh, Iran) and Dental Floss( Mina, Iran)to use during the study, and they were instructed the proper techniques of brushing and flossing.The study was performed in two treatment sessions and a 48 hour washout period. They passed through the sessions in a randomized sequence. After prophylaxis with rubber cup, they were asked to discontinue all oral hygiene for 24 hour. At the first session , they flossed first followed by brushing (floss-brush group) and at the other session they used dental floss after brushing (brush-floss group) . At each session, before and after brushing and flossing , Dental plaque reduction was assessed using Rustogi Modified Navi Plaque Index. Interdental plaque was collected for measuring fluoride. Differences between the two groups were analyzed with mixed model test.