The Flossing Debate and Why There Shouldn’t Be One
The debate about the merits of flossing all started last August with The New York Times. The prestigious paper ran a story that implied that it might not be necessary to floss to prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and bone loss. The dental community responded with a unified and resounding, “Yes, it is.”
The NY Times article referred to the latest dietary guidelines published by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services that excluded flossing in their recommendations. The Associated Press reported that the government agency dropped flossing because officials had never researched whether flossing truly helped in upholding dental health.