Abstract
Aim. Assess knowledge and awareness among the Saudi population of the use of interdental cleaning aids, particularly WFs, and determine the popularity of WFs as a supplementary device to toothbrushes.
Material and methods. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was translated from English into Arabic and included 22 dichotomous, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. The participants were asked if they had heard of WFs, whether they used one on a regular basis, and whether they would recommend one to others (and to explain why they would/would not recommend their use). The surveys were distributed randomly via social media.
Results. 322 individuals participated in this study. 96.6% of the participants were Saudi and mostly female with 89.1%. In addition, 43% of the participants were aged 18-29 years. In total, 60% of the participants used interdental aids. Dental floss was used by more than half of the participants, whereas WFs were used by only 13.6%. 54.7% reported that they had heard of WFs (from various sources, including social media and dentists).
Conclusion. WFs are effective for reducing bleeding and gingivitis in a wide variety of patients. Thus, they should be used along with toothbrushing to maintain oral hygiene. We found that there is a lack of knowledge about the usage and effectiveness of WFs among the Saudi population. Therefore, oral healthcare providers should aim to increase awareness of the utility of WF devices to enhance oral health.