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

It is crucial that preventive strategies for periodontal disease are founded on the most recent scientific understanding of the problem, even though there are still gaps in our knowledge on the exact form and severity of the issue.Limited data is available to evaluate the usage of dental floss among adults, and to our knowledge, no study has been conducted to evaluate this in Kosovo.Thus, the aim of this study was to assess knowledge and attitudes toward dental floss among adults in Kosovo. IntroductIonAccording to epidemiological data, periodontal disease is one of the most common oral diseases, posing a threat to global public health and being a significant factor in tooth loss. 1,2The maintenance of excellent oral health is widely seen as requiring appropriate oral hygiene practices.Clinical and population preventive interventions must target the underlying causes of disease in order to be successful.Chronic periodontal disease is generated by dental plaque, and effective oral hygiene techniques, such as brushing, using chewing sticks, and interdental cleaning, are crucial for controlling it, so the gold criterion for bacterial plaque prevention is its efficient elimination. 3Considering that the area between teeth is seen as a primary entry point for periodontal disease, eliminating the proximal biofilm is crucial.According to different studies, using a toothbrush alone is insufficient for effectively removing dental plaque, so the use of additional tools for oral hygiene, including dental floss, has been stressed. 4,5oreover, cleaning and flossing the interdental area has been demonstrated to lower the incidence of new cardiovascular events in those with coronary heart disease, as well as to prevent periodontal disease. 6,7ven though the American Dental Association recommends flossing at least once a day, 8 numerous data indicate that only a small portion of the population uses dental floss on a daily basis.