Comparison of the effect of two interdental cleaning devices around implants on the reduction of bleeding: a 30-day randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a water flosser in reducing the bleeding on probing (BOP) index around dental implants as compared to flossing. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with implants were randomly assigned to one of two groups in this examiner-masked, single-center study. The study compared the efficacy of a manual toothbrush paired with either traditional string floss or a water flosser. RESULTS: The primary outcome was the reduction in the incidence of BOP after 30 days. There were no differences in the percent of bleeding sites between the groups at baseline. At 30 days, 18 of the 22 (81.8%) implants in the water flosser group showed a reduction in BOP compared to 6 of the 18 (33.3%) in the floss group (P=0.0018). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the water flosser group had statistically significantly greater bleeding reduction than the string floss group. The authors concluded that water flossing may be a useful adjuvant for implant hygiene maintenance.