Trial reportBMC oral health2026
Impact of brushing-flossing sequence on plaque removal: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBrushing and flossing have been widely used worldwide as mechanical ways for the removal of dental plaque. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the sequence of brushing and flossing would have an impact on the efficacy of plaque removal.
methodsA total of 56 college students were randomly assigned to the floss-brush group and the brush-floss group. A baseline plaque index (PI) assessment was performed on the participants, followed by oral hygiene instruction on the modified Bass brushing technique and flossing methods. The participants in the floss-brush group were directed to floss before brushing their teeth, while the brush-floss group executed the same tasks, differing only in the order of operations. The Turesky Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index (TMQHPI) was utilized to assess total, buccal, lingual, and interproximal plaque, with results deemed statistically significant at p < 0.05.
resultsValues are presented as mean ± standard deviation (mean ± SD). The floss-brush group exhibited significantly greater mean ± SD reductions in PI compared to the brush-floss group in the maxillary anterior region for both total surfaces (1.13 ± 0.87 vs. 0.71 ± 0.89; p = 0.011) and interproximal surfaces (1.15 ± 0.92 vs. 0.65 ± 0.86; p = 0.01), as well as in the mandibular anterior region for total surfaces (0.91 ± 0.76 vs. 0.64 ± 0.95; p = 0.026) and interproximal surfaces (0.93 ± 0.80 vs. 0.62 ± 0.96; p = 0.031). No statistically significant difference was identified between the two groups in other regions.
conclusionOur results suggest a potential advantage of flossing followed by brushing in anterior regions, evidenced by greater PI reduction compared to brushing then flossing.
trial registration(23-07-2024) on https://www.chictr.org.cn/ with the ID (ChiCTR2400087214).
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