NEW STUDY: Little evidence supports twice yearly dental visits for prevention + Patient discussion notes

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our patients may question you or your staff about their patient recall schedules due to a new study reported in The New York Times and other major media. The study, published in the Journal of Dental Research, indicates “little evidence supports biannual preventive care for all adults.” The headline from HealthDay News read, “Annual Dental Cleaning May be Enough for Some: Study.”

The researchers explored the association be- tween long-term tooth loss and the frequen- cy of preventive dental visits in adults with and without three risk factors for periodontal disease: smoking, diabetes and interleukin-1 genetic variations. Subjects were deemed low risk if they had none of these factors. The data showed that as a group the high-risk patients who had two preventive dental visits lost significantly fewer teeth compared to the high-risk group that had only one preventive dental visit per year. By contrast, there was

no difference in tooth loss for the groups at low-risk based on one versus two preventive visits per year. The researchers concluded that individual risk factors should dictate the frequency of cleanings.

The ADA provides the following information which they hope is helpful if your patients ask about their appointment schedules based on this news coverage: The ADA recom- mends regular dental visits at an interval determined by the patient’s dentist. The patient’s dentist makes an individualized rec- ommendation based on the patient’s health history and current oral health status. See press statement at www.ada.org/8700.aspx.

Here are some suggested points that may help you discuss the study and the impor- tance of personalized care:

 The key takeaway from this study is that personalized oral care—taking into

account your oral and overall health history—is necessary for good dental health.

 The study only looked at tooth extrac- tion and its association with risk factors for gum disease; however other health conditions can contribute to poor oral health, so that’s why personalized dental care is critical to good patient care.

 We make personalized treatment plans our priority. My recommendations for your future dental appointments are always based on these important factors: what I see during your examination; your health history; and any concerns you may have about your oral health.

 The ADA website at www.mouthhealthy. org has a lot of information on how to take care of your oral health between dental visits.

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ISSUE 4 | JUL/AUG 2013 | focus 27