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Purpose: The purpose of this survey was to investigate how flossing and rinsing behaviors impact individual beliefs about oral disease risk, the efficacy of floss and mouthrinse, and the perceived benefits and barriers of floss and mouthrinse. Methods: Participants in this required component of a 12-week plaque and gingivitis randomized clinical trial on flossing and rinsing regimens completed a paper questionnaire prior to randomization and baseline/screening measurements. Results: All of the clinical trial participants (n=213) completed the questionnaire. Respondents were grouped as habitual or non-habitual users of floss or mouthrinse if the product was used at least once daily; 16% (n=34) were habitual users of floss and 17% (n=36) were habitual users of mouthrinse. Perceived barriers included fear of gingival bleeding and pain, forgetting, and not including flossing or rinsing as part of the daily oral care routine. Non-habitual users were less likely to believe in the intangible benefits of flossing or rinsing and much more likely to perceive barriers to using floss or mouthrinse. Risk perception of developing oral disease was not shown to predict product usage. Respondents viewed their risk of developing gingivitis as relatively low despite this diagnosis being confirmed clinically among the participants. Conclusion: While respondents strongly believed that brushing, flossing, and mouthrinse use carry unique benefits and that combining all three methods would be optimal, these respondents still had high perceived barriers to using floss and mouthrinse regularly and consequently these habits were not included in their daily oral hygiene regimen. Understanding the perceptions regarding oral health behaviors may help drive more effective interventions and assist practitioners in improving their patients' oral health outcomes. Keywords: dental floss, mouthrinse, oral hygiene habits, health behaviors, gingivitis, Introduction Dental floss is one of the most commonly recommended interdental cleaners because of its ability to reach between the teeth, where toothbrush bristles are not able to easily access, [...]

It's early September and I'm driving a rental car through the drying fields of Indiana on assignment. I'm scheduled to visit one of the fastest-growing solar distributors in the Midwest--Solar [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Are you tired of hearing about 'green'? Good. For this month, let's talk about the real reason radiant heat is the go-to system for many commercial building owners: [...]

IT'S TRUE: Family businesses are the heart of America. In this country, family-owned businesses account for 89 percent of business tax returns, according to recent research. That translates to more [...]

It was a lazy afternoon in 1999. Mark Paup and his wife Miranda were reading their local Sunday paper when an advertisement soon caught their eye in the Des Moines [...]

When Harris-Dudley Plumbing and Heating in Salt Lake City broke ground on its new 19,000-sq.-ft. headquarters, it was planned from the get-go with radiant in mind: Home base would now [...]

LET'S GET RIGHT to the point: C.J. Erickson Plumbing Co. is unique in this business. Not only has it survived--and thrived--to reach its 100th anniversary, it has done so serving [...]

The worst part was the long days and even weeks being out of touch with loved ones and business associates. Ferguson, Hughes Supply, Coburn Supply, McJunkin and Red Man Pipe [...]

The Japanese call it Kaizen. It means, literally, 'to take apart and put back together in a better way.' It is an approach to productivity that breaks with tradition of [...]

Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library is one of the largest buildings in the world devoted entirely to rare literary works of art. Built in 1963 of Vermont [...]

As the water treatment market builds momentum, more and more plumbing service contractors acknowledge its potential for profitability by adding it to their business diversities. But it doesn't end at [...]

LET'S FACE IT. Sometimes there are only two things you think of while on a job: 1) Am I on time? and 2) Am I on budget? The fact that [...]

Your customers want to trust that what comes out of their taps is the safest possible drinking water. And in the United States, they're probably right; the U.S. public water [...]

When speaking about the 'culture' of a company, most people use that word in its noun form: a place with a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices. But [...]

Culture: 1) cultivation, tillage; 2) the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education; 3) a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes a [...]

Kinetics-Southwest Region has waged a 'War on Waste' by adapting a manufacturing philosophy first developed in Japan. Kinetics' 5S's method of improving productivity has engaged its employees and brought quick [...]

'The skilled trades may not always be the easiest career choice a woman can make. Like a stranger in a new town, there are plenty of difficulties to deal with [...]

In May 2000, Plumbers Success International announced plans to make Benjamin Franklin into a national plumbing brand. National branding has been on the minds of PSL co-founders Jim Abrams and [...]

Six years ago, if you had asked President Michael Kotubey if Midwest Mechanical was 'The Best Contractor To Work For,' he would have said, 'No.' But it just goes to [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Talk about healthcare reform! When Sherman Health, a not-for-profit community-governed healthcare system, planned to build its $310 million replacement hospital in Elgin, Ill., it sought to create a [...]

Among the renewable energies, solar is easily the fastest-growing segment in the United States. The Energy Information Administration announced in its Annual Solar Thermal Collector Manufacturers Survey that shipments surged [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To be a plumber, you need to leave any squeamish tendencies at the door. How else could you willingly and gladly reach down into waste pipe, traps and [...]

Up until a few years ago, most people were just satisfied with a bathroom that was clean with a fresh supply of TP. Now, they're more likely to be interested [...]

MANY TIMES, bathroom accessories to plumbing contractors mean drain wastes, valves and flexible hoses. But the ability to think past your nose and offer the 'softer side' of plumbing accessories [...]

One Tidy Truck A.C.M. Appliance Repair Service, Binghampton, N.Y. Our Truck Of The Month features focus mainly on exterior appearance--a catchy slogan, an attractive graphic, an unusual color combo. But [...]

It's been said that home is where the heart is. But the heart can specifically be found in the bathroom if today's consumer trends ring true. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [...]

Remember the 1985 hit movie, 'Back to the Future'? At its conclusion, Doc Brown rustles frantically through the garbage. 'I need fuel,' he says to Michael J. Fox's character. He [...]

Ever get overzealous during a radiant project? Each tee, each loop, each drop an artistic expression of a radiant master. The end result is a tour de force as you [...]

When a single pinhole leak under 40 pounds of pressure can lose more than 2,000 gallons of water a day, companies that perform radio leak detection can seem like heroes [...]

PEX for potable water systems is currently marketed by several manufacturers, including IPEX, Wirsbo, Watts Radiant, REHAU, Zurn, Stadler Viega, RTI, Weil-McLain and Vanguard. Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) is nothing new [...]

The U.S. Public Health Service first established a national standard for arsenic in drinking water in 1942. It was set at 50 parts per billion and remained unchallenged until 1975 [...]

The U.S. Public Health Service first established a national standard for arsenic in drinking water in 1942. It was set at 50 parts per billion and remained unchallenged until 1975 [...]

It has been labeled a 'silent killer,' plaguing homes, schools and places of business around the country. It has been the cause of several multimillion-dollar lawsuits. It was found in [...]

The rest of the country continues to holds its breath while the West coast battles with energy concerns. As California homeowners face skyrocketing electricity bills and rolling blackouts, state utility [...]

Are faucet manufacturers addressing 'function' as well as 'form'? Jan Weimer knows her way around a kitchen. She is a consultant to consumers, architects, designers and contractors in the field [...]

Contractors in the Seattle, Wash., area are counting their blessings -- and invoices -- after the earthquake that hit the state Feb. 28. The quake, centered about 35 miles southwest [...]

Controlling overhead during this squeezed economic time has become a priority for business owners everywhere. They want jobs to run as efficiently as possible with minimum downtime and maximum productivity. [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 'spa at home' is a strong-growing segment, and for plumbing contractors increasingly squeezed by today's competitive market, suggesting a customized shower and steambath experience to homeowners might [...]

While we can't promise a magical increase in sales, this month's introduction to social media networks will explain why a well-maintained Facebook or Twitter account can help your company's traditional [...]

Lifestyles today move at break-neck speeds: We communicate with each other in pocket-sized high-speed bandwidth. We buy and sell goods in an instant online. We tape multiple TV shows at [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Times are tough out there. Plumbing service businesses are feeling the pinch of cautious consumer confidence. As 2009 dawns, it seems clever and resourceful marketing tactics will be [...]