Do woodsticks work?
METHODS
Medline and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were used to find relevant studies.


METHODS
Studies were screened independently by two reviewers. Randomised controlled trials and controlled clinical trials were selected if they were conducted in individuals of over 18 years of age who were in good general health, and which used plaque, bleeding or gingivitis as outcome measures. Case reports, letters, and narrative or historical reviews were excluded and only English-language papers were considered.


METHODS
Because of the heterogeneity of the studies' designs, a qualitative summary was presented.


RESULTS
Seven publications describing eight clinical experiments met the inclusion criteria. The improvement in gingival health observed in the studies represented a significant reduction of bleeding realised by the use of triangular woodsticks. None of the studies that scored plaque demonstrated any significant advantage of the use of woodsticks over alternative methods of plaque removal in people who had gingivitis.


CONCLUSIONS
The evidence from clinical controlled trials shows that woodsticks do not have an additional effect on visible interdental plaque, but do, however, help improve interdental gingival inflammation.
Tucker
Richard
R
Unit of Periodontology, University College London Eastman Dental Institute, London, UK.