Re:Federal health expert drop flossing from health guidelines
by totalcrepe on Wednesday August 03, 2016 @04:34AM
(#12216512)
> Well that's the problem, we don't have better evidence.
We actually have had it for quite a while. The CAMBRA MOOC is put together by a dentist/statistician and lays out a point system based on correlation between patient behaviors/health and carries. It has been iteratively corrected based on effective and ineffective results when modifying behavior according to the system.
Notably in that system, floss is not given a point. Whatever effect it may have is either too weak or better described by other factors flossing correlates with.
When points like that come up, the teacher stresses that the system is only measuring odds of near term carries, so flossing may be effective for something else with regards to oral health or preventing one of the negative factors.
We actually have had it for quite a while. The CAMBRA MOOC is put together by a dentist/statistician and lays out a point system based on correlation between patient behaviors/health and carries. It has been iteratively corrected based on effective and ineffective results when modifying behavior according to the system.
Notably in that system, floss is not given a point. Whatever effect it may have is either too weak or better described by other factors flossing correlates with.
When points like that come up, the teacher stresses that the system is only measuring odds of near term carries, so flossing may be effective for something else with regards to oral health or preventing one of the negative factors.