CE0781: Oral Health Products for Home Use - What Should I Recommend?

Karen Baker, RPh, MS

Course Description:

Which powered toothbrush should I buy? Is it safe to use whitening toothpaste every day? Does it make any difference which ADA accepted fluoride toothpaste I use? Which herbal mouthrinse reduces gum disease? How can I get some relief from this dry mouth and the bad breath that goes with it? Patients ask you questions about home use dental products more frequently than they ask about any other oral health subject. They need your professional guidance now more than ever in making the best choices based on their unique set of circumstances. Ms. Baker will compare manufacturer claims and objective clinical data concerning both mechanical and chemotherapeutic products for gingivitis and calculus reduction. The new generation of powered toothbrushes including rotary, sonic, and ultrasonic will be compared to each other and to manual brushing. Toothpastes claiming everything from superior mineralization to “age defiance” will be listed in detailed tables to be used as a chairside reference when questions arise. The safety and effectiveness of controversial ingredients such as baking soda, peroxides, Coenzyme Q-10, melaleuca, and stabilized chlorine dioxide will be reviewed. Compliance issues and patient selection for various modes of chemical application including irrigation, rinsing, and brushing will be compared. Home use fluoride rinses and brush on gels will be rated based on relative caries and gingivitis reductions. New strategies for xerostomia including patient instructions will be described. The safety and effectiveness of over-the-counter bleaching kits and toothpastes will be compared to dental office dispensed products. An extensive and very current handout that will help you design optimal homecare regimens for specific patients accompanies this entertaining, yet comprehensive evaluation of homecare dental product information.

Course Objectives - As a result of attending this course, the participant should be able to:

• Recommend toothbrushes based on patient factors such as periodontal status, orthodontic bands, dexterity or strength limitations, and maintenance expense,
• Select a dentifrice for a specific patient based on type of fluoride, gingivitis or calculus reduction, abrasiveness, cleaning ability, and safety with chronic use,
• Choose the most effective mechanical and chemical treatments for halitosis,
• Evaluate mouthwashes based on pH, alcohol content, and therapeutic effect,
• Consider patient needs as well as product characteristics in prescribing a fluoride gel, and
• Explain important differences among bleaching product characteristics including concentration of ingredients, viscosity, speed, ease of use, and cost per arch.

Instructor:

KAREN BAKER has been on the Dental College faculty at the University of Iowa for 26 years and occupies a unique role in dental practice and education. She is a clinical pharmacist with a Master’s degree in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics and is focused on patient-specific dental drug therapy. She has given over 700 programs nationally and internationally and holds memberships in the ADA, ADEA the American Pharmaceutical Association, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society. Ms. Baker is on the editorial board of the Journal of the Academy of General Dentistry. Her dental education-based pharmacy and drug therapy consultation center is the only one in the United States. She has authored more than 50 articles and abstracts and lectures extensively in pre-doctoral and graduate-level courses at the University of Iowa.

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