In August 2016 an Associated Press article reported on the omission of flossing from the 2015 document entitling their article "Medical benefits of dental floss unproven". The Associated Press article tied the omission to the AP’s Freedom of Information Request to the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture where it asked for the scientific evidence behind the Guidelines’ flossing recommendation noting that “The guidelines must be based on scientific evidence, under the law.” The story was picked up by other news organizations including The New York Times in an article entitled "Feeling Guilty About Not Flossing? Maybe There’s No Need".