How we've ended up regulating medicine to the nth degree, but when it's teeth we're like "oh well, lol", continues to mystify me.
I'm always baffled by all the discussions about flossing, as it's something that can be very easily verified empirically: one can just floss for a month, then stop doing it for another month, then resume and get a feeling for how the gums react. If they bleed or burn (lightly), then the efficacy is evident; if not... lucky person! No need for research either way.
In my case, I don't need to floss daily, but I still need to do it regularly. Two weeks without flossing, and I'll definitely feel the burn once I resume flossing.
The tobacco industry was a contributing factor but common sense and independent thought was already gone or it wouldn’t have worked for as long as it did.