World Journal of Dentistry

Register      Login

VOLUME 15 , ISSUE 3 ( March, 2024 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Knowledge and Attitude toward Dental Floss among Adults in Kosovo: A Cross-sectional Study

Astrit Kuçi, Ari Bruci, Aron Kelmendi, Donika I Shahiqi

Keywords : Dental floss, Knowledge, Oral health, Oral hygiene

Citation Information : Kuçi A, Bruci A, Kelmendi A, Shahiqi DI. Knowledge and Attitude toward Dental Floss among Adults in Kosovo: A Cross-sectional Study. World J Dent 2024; 15 (3):253-256.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10015-2393

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 20-04-2024

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2024; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess knowledge and attitudes toward dental floss among adults in Kosovo. Materials and methods: An online survey was designed to respond to and collect data regarding flossing habits. The sample age was set from 18 to 65, and all participants, irrespective of dental floss usage, were included and analyzed. The questionnaire contained 12 questions, divided into two sections. The first section contained three general questions, such as age, gender, and occupation, whereas the second section contained 9 questions regarding knowledge and attitude on dental floss. A total of 550 online questionnaires were sent to adults and students from different academic majors through Google Forms. Data were assessed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0. and p < 0.01was considered significant. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-squared test of independence were used to make comparisons between groups; when necessary, the Fisher exact test was used. The sample was divided based on occupation, and a further division of students was made based on the academic field of study. Results: A total of 494 responders participated in the survey. Based on the results, the majority (70%) of the participants brushed their teeth twice daily, but only 56% said they also used dental floss. Most of the respondents (53%) claimed that their dentist had not recommended using dental floss, and 45% believed that using dental floss would cause tooth diastema. On the further division of the sample based on academic background, students of dentistry showed statistically significant knowledge of dental floss usage. Conclusion: There is low-to-moderate knowledge regarding dental floss usage among young adults. Clinical significance: Adults’ awareness of dental floss is inadequate. In the absence of knowledge, maintaining proper dental health may be challenging. Thus, there is a need for a better understatement of the importance of dental floss as well as better encouragement from dentists for frequent dental floss.


PDF Share
  1. Page RC, Schroeder HE. Pathogenesis of inflammatory periodontal disease. A summary of current work. Lab Invest 1976;34(3):235–249. PMID: 765622.
  2. Jin LJ, Armitage GC, Klinge B, et al. Global oral health inequalities: task group-periodontal disease. Adv Dent Res 2011;23(2):221–226. DOI: 10.1177/0022034511402080
  3. Gaffar A, Coleman EJ, Marcussen HW. Penetration of dental plaque components into gingiva: Sequential topical treatments with hyaluronidase and streptococcal polysaccharide in rats. J Periodontol 1981;52(4):197–205. DOI: 10.1902/jop.1981.52.4.197
  4. Gluch JI. As an adjunct to tooth brushing, interdental brushes (IDBs) are more effective in removing plaque as compared with brushing alone or the combination use of tooth brushing and dental floss. J Evid Based Dent Pract 2012;12(2):81–83. DOI: 10.1016/j.jebdp.2012.03.016
  5. Salzer S, Slot DE, Van der Weijden FA, et al. Efficacy of inter-dental mechanical plaque control in managing gingivitis a meta-review. J Clin Periodontal 2015;42(Suppl 16):S92–S105. DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.12363
  6. Reichert S, Schlitt A, Beschow V, et al. Use of floss/interdental brushes is associated with lower risk for new cardiovascular events among patients with coronary heart disease. J Periodontal Res 2015;50(2):180–188. DOI: 10.1111/jre.12191
  7. El Fadl KA, Ragy N, El Batran M, et al. Periodontitis and cardiovascular disease: Floss and reduce a potential risk factor for CVD. Angiology 2011;62(1):62–67. DOI: 10.1177/0003319710371617
  8. ADA. Mouth. Healthy. Available online:https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/f/flossing (accessed on 12 December2019).
  9. Yuen HK, Hant FN, Hatfield C, et al. Factors associated with oral hygiene practices among adults with systemic sclerosis. Int J Dent Hyg 2014;12(3):180–186. DOI: 10.1111/idh.12056
  10. Folayan MO, Khami MR, Folaranmi N, et al. Determinants of preventive oral health behaviour among senior dental students in Nigeria. BMC Oral Health 2013;13:28. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-13-28
  11. Hsu KJ, Yen YY, Lan SJ, et al. Impact of oral health behaviours and oral habits on the number of remaining teeth in older Taiwanese dentate adults. Oral Health Prev Dent 2013;11(2):121–130. DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.a29360
  12. Slot DE, Wiggelinkhuizen L, Rosema NA, et al. The efficacy of manual toothbrushes following a brushing exercise: a systematic review. Int J Dent Hyg 2012;10(3):187–197. DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2012.00557.x
  13. Tina P, Helen VW, Trevor MJ, et al. Interdental brushing for the prevention and control of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013;12:CD009857. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009857.pub2
  14. Sambunjak D, Nickerson JW, Poklepovic T, et al. Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;12:Cd008829. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008829.pub2
  15. Exploring the promise of Youth-led Social Innovation. Kosovo's Annual Active Talk. Prishtina, Kosovo. Updated on 2015 Nov 30, cited on 2023 May. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/kosovoprogramme/press-releases/exploring-promise-youth-led-social-innovation
  16. Warren PR, Chater BV. An overview of established interdental cleaning methods. J Clin Dent 1996;7(3 spec No):65–69.
  17. Kim EJ,Han SJ. The effect of proximal cleaning devices on periodontal status in Korean adults between 2016 and 2018. Int J Environ Res Pub Health 2021;18(4):2116. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18042116
  18. Almassri O, Alanazi L, Almutiri J, et al. Knowledge, awareness about dental flossing among adult population in Saudi Arabia. Saudi J Dent Res 2019;4:789–793. DOI: 10.36348/SJODR.2019.v04i12.001
  19. Alshahrani S, Alshuaibi A, Alkhaldi M, et al. Perception and knowledge of patients from different regions in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards oral hygiene and oral hygiene aids. Healthcare (Basel) 2021;9(5):592. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9050592
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.