Brushing, flossing, and dental checkup
frequencies were acquired in phase-
I by asking subjects how often they performed
these activities. Brushing and
flossing variables were refined by including
measures of thoroughness. To
be considered as having acceptable
brushing behavior, a subject had to (1)
brush at least once daily during the past
year, (2) brush all his/her teeth, and
(3) usually brush parts of the teeth that
don't show when they smiled, A subject
who did not report performing all 3 aspects
of brushing was considered to
have unacceptable brushing behavior.
For acceptable flossing behavior, a subject
had to (1) floss at least once daily
during the past year, and (2) usually
floss ail of his/her teeth, A subject who
did not report performing these 2 aspects
of flossing was considered to have
unacceptable flossing behavior.