Dental floss design: a protocol for a scoping review

Smruti Divate; Zac Morse

doi:10.18203/issn.2454-2156.IntJSciRep20221342

Authors

Smruti Divate Department of Oral Health, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Zac Morse Department of Oral Health, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-2156.IntJSciRep20221342

Keywords:

Dental floss, Floss design, Interdental aid, Interdental cleaning, Oral hygiene products

Abstract

Flossing teeth is usually recommended because toothbrushes do not effectively clean bacterial plaque from interproximal spaces alone. The general benefits of dental floss and its crucial role in reducing plaque overload in adjunct to toothbrushing have been extensively discussed. Even so, the design of dental floss is scantily researched. The main objective of this scoping review is to map key concepts and themes or patterns and to identify gaps for future studies within the existing literature in relation to dental floss design. This scoping review protocol has been designed following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. Four databases (Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, CINHL, MEDLINE, and Scopus) and two sources of unpublished literature (Google Scholar and Google) will be searched for primary and secondary studies, guidelines, websites and reports concerning the design of dental floss published. Retrieved sources will be independently assessed by two reviewers using the three-step search strategy proposed by JBI; the number of included and excluded sources will be presented with a PRISMA flow diagram. Additionally, the data extraction table will reflect the variables of the included sources and a narrative description will accompany the analysed data. Evaluation of the existing literature on dental floss design is essential to guide future research and improve oral health outcomes.

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Author Biography

Smruti Divate, Department of Oral Health, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

Oral Health Department

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