Background: Daily oral biofilm disruption by clients is
recommended by oral health professionals to prevent oral
diseases and to maintain optimal oral and overall health. Since
periodontal diseases and caries are prevalent interproximallythe adjunctive use of interdental aids is highly recommended.
Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of interdental brushing
as an adjunct to toothbrushing for the primary outcome of
interproximal gingival bleeding and a secondary outcome of
interproximal plaque. Methods: Only randomized controlled
trials were included. Studies were included irrespective
of publication status and language. Hand searching was
conducted in two peer reviewed journals, with references mined.
Pharmaceutical companies that develop and manufacture
interdental brushes were also contacted for unpublished
or ongoing clinical trials. Sixty-two studies were retrieved
from the literature with seven studies meeting the inclusion/
exclusion criteria. Forest plots and Chi-square tests were used
to determine the presence of heterogeneity. Random effects
model, relative risk and 95% confidence intervals were used in
the analysis. Results: Four studies were included in the meta
analysis for bleeding outcome. Although some heterogeneity
was present among the studies, the interdental brush groups
demonstrated statistical significance for reducing interproximal
bleeding compared to the dental floss groups, p = 0.003. Plaque
outcomes were analyzed using seven studies, with interdental
brush demonstrating statistically significant differences to dental
floss, p = 0.024. Conclusion: Interdental brush is an effective
alternative to dental floss for reducing interproximal bleeding
and plaque in clients with filled or open embrasures.