Oral hygiene: Fads and facts behind the questions

Learn how to give evidence-based answers to your patients’ questions about oral hygiene products and fads.

‘Floss the teeth you wish to keep.’ We’ve all heard the phrase, so why is daily oral hygiene such a pain in the tooth?

Plaque bacteria is undeniably our biggest enemy when managing dental disease. From charcoal toothpastes, to oil pulling, to bamboo toothbrushes, there is an abundance of different oral hygiene fads on the market. It can become overwhelming to keep up with what works. Our role as dental professionals must be to provide evidence-based advise to our patients while understanding their individual risk profile.

Learn how to:

• Discuss plaque as a primary etiologic agent in oral disease – what do we know about oral dysbiosis?
• Understand market advances in oral hygiene products to provide ‘site-specific’ oral hygiene instruction
• Recognise your patients’ ability to perform oral hygiene and how that relates to their risk profile
• Correctly formulate oral hygiene routines and recall intervals for your patients.