Although we have studies to demonstrate that Listerine is more effective than floss for sustained plaque reduction above the gumline, we advise that LISTERINE is used in addition to brushing and flossing. Flossing plays a key role in your daily oral hygiene routine, and we have shown that the addition of LISTERINE to brushing and flossing provides incremental benefits to your oral hygiene routine. This data has been taken from two 12-week clinical studies conducted by LISTERINE; published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene (JDH). The first clinical study (Bosma et al, 2022) randomly assigned participants to four groups with an oral hygiene routine of: brushing only, brushing and hygienist conducted flossing, brushing and supervised flossing or brushing and rinsing with LISTERINE mouthwash. The study outcome concluded that a daily oral  health routine of brushing with the addition of LISTERINE mouthwash containing four essential oils resulted in greater reduction in plaque build-up above the gumline compared to the addition of flossing alone, after 12 weeks. The second study (Milleman et al, 2022) randomly assigned participants to four oral hygiene groups with an oral hygiene routine of: brushing only, brushing & rinsing with LISTERINE mouthwash, brushing and flossing or brushing, flossing and rinsing with LISTERINE mouthwash. The study outcome concluded that addition of LISTERINE mouthwash to a daily oral health routine of brushing or brushing and flossing resulted in significant reduction in the build-up of plaque, after 12 weeks.