DanArmak comments on Irrationality Quotes August 2016 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: PhilGoetz 01 August 2016 07:12PM

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Comment author: cody-bryce 23 August 2016 03:12:40PM 0 points [-]

For what it's worth, the situation isn't really that we've established that it isn't clear flossing helps, it's that we haven't established with the kind of evidence HHS requires that flossing helps. Those sorts of studies are hard to do reliably with things like flossing.

Comment author: DanArmak 24 August 2016 10:26:46AM 0 points [-]

Do you think the evidence we do have, which doesn't rise to the level required by the HHS, is in fact strong enough and that we should rely on it?

The quote doesn't sound encouraging:

Overall there is weak, very unreliable evidence which suggests that flossing plus toothbrushing may be associated with a small reduction in plaque at 1 or 3 months.

Comment author: cody-bryce 24 August 2016 02:54:03PM 0 points [-]

Quite possibly.

The epidemiological studies, as I understand it, make the association between claims of flossing and improved tooth health unambiguously exist (though not huge). HHS didn't analyse them and find them too week, exactly; they simply want controlled studies for this purpose (for good reason, of course). Nonetheless, everything we know makes it sound like flossing is at least a little effective.

Whether the effect justifies spending minutes every week, who knows.