Thin Findings: Waxed vs. Unwaxed Dental Floss

Which do people prefer – dental floss that is waxed or dental floss that is unwaxed? A study called Patient Preference for Waxed or Unwaxed Dental Floss explores the question to a depth that was unprecedented in 1990, when it appeared in the Journal of Periodontology. Twenty-two years later, the report’s findings remain largely unchallenged.

Manufacturers of dental floss might ask which kind people actually purchase. Public health officials might ask which is the more effective at keeping teeth and gums healthy. Dr Robert H Beaumont [pictured here], chief of periodontics at the 842nd Strategic hospital, at Grand Forks Air Force base in North Dakota, stuck to the raw basics, asking 100 patients which kind of dental floss they simply, in their hearts, “prefer”….

So begins this week’s Improbable Research column in The Guardian.