Water Pik aims to reconfigure the floss market

Water Pik is repositioning its flagship oral care product as the Waterpik Water Flosser. Leveraging the original Waterpik brand and design, the company is introducing the Water Flosser to help patients understand the true purpose of a Waterpik and support those patients who don't like to floss.

The company announced this new strategy at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting this week. Waterpik is hoping its new product name will convey that the device is an easier and more effective alternative to traditional string floss.

Recent research has shown that people are often confused by the terms "oral irrigator" or "dental water jet" and don't understand how it fits into their oral hygiene routine, the company said.

The single-blind, parallel 30-day clinical trial, conducted at the University of Amsterdam, included 104 subjects randomly assigned to one of three oral care regimens: a manual toothbrush and the Waterpik with Classic Jet Tip, a manual toothbrush and the Waterpik with Plaque Seeker Tip, and a manual toothbrush and waxed dental floss.

Subjects brushed twice a day and used a Waterpik or dental floss once in the evening. Data was collected at baseline, 14 days, and 30 days.

The study found that the Waterpik Water Flosser, when combined with manual toothbrushing, was "significantly better than traditional floss in reducing gingival bleeding," according to the company.

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