Dental floss behaviour: A test of the predictive utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the effects of making implementation intentions

A prospective study was conducted in order to investigate the utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in predicting dental floss intentions and behaviour. The efficacy of making implementation intentions as an intervention to increase dental floss behaviour was also tested. A sample of 119 participants was recruited from a university population. At Time 1, participants completed measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, past behaviour and half of the participants formed implementation intentions specifying where and when they would use dental floss. Behaviour was assessed using a diary card in which participants recorded their dental floss use over a 3-week period. Results showed that the Theory of Planned Behaviour variables predicted 46% of the variance in intention and 29% of the variance in behaviour. Implementation intentions were not found to be an effective intervention in increasing dental floss behaviour. Results suggest that interventions should target an individual's attitude and perceptions of control in order to increase dental floss intentions and behaviour.