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Dental patients ignore oral health advice
16th Jun 2010
The 'spit – not rinse' message from various dental experts is failing to get through to patients.
Despite recent oral hygiene advice, many people are still in the habit of rinsing vigorously with water after brushing.
The Department of Health's toolkit for prevention, Delivering better oral health, several studies and other recent oral hygiene advice all suggest patients should 'spit – not rinse'.
A recent survey undertaken by the British Dental Health Foundation shows that 51.3% of adults admit to rinsing with water following toothbrushing.
The 'spit – not rinse' advice stems from the concern that rinsing with water after toothbrushing will negate the positive effect of fluoride in the mouth and simply wash it away.
The scenario changes however if a mouthwash containing fluoride is used as a rinse instead of water.
In fact, a recent blinded, randomised study has shown that 100ppm mouthwash, such as Listerine, even when used immediately after brushing, maintains the fluoride levels obtained from a fluoridated toothpaste.
For patients who are in the habit of rinsing vigorously with water after brushing, using Listerine instead, or immediately afterwards can be useful for better protection against caries.
References
1. Department of Health. BASCS. Delivering Better Oral Health. An evidence-based toolkit for prevention. Second edition April 2009, pages 17 and 42.
2. Chestnutt IG, Schafer F, Jacobson AT, Stephen KW. 1998. The influence of toothbrushing frequency and post-brushing rinsing on caries experience in a caries clinical trial. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 26 (6): 406-411.
3. O'Mullane DM, Kavanagh D, Ellwood RP et al. 1997. A three-year clinical trial of a combination of trimetaphosphate and sodium fluoride in silica toothpastes. J Dent Res.. 76 (11): 1776 – 1781.
4. Sjögren K, Birkhed D, Rangmar B 1995. Effect of a modified toothpaste technique on approximal caries in pre-school children. Caries Res. 29(6): 435-441.
5. North Yorkshire and York NHS Trust. Public Health Factsheet, Issue 12, March/April 2009.
6. British Dental Health Foundation 2010. Data on file.
7. Duckworth RM, Maguire A, Omid N, Steen IN, McCracken GI, Zohoori FV. 2009. Effect of rinsing with mouthwashes after brushing with a fluoridated toothpaste on salivary fluoride concentration. Caries Res. 43:391 – 396.
8. Duckworth RM, Horay C, Huntingdon E, Mehta V. 2009. Effects of flossing and rinsing with a fluoridated mouthwash after brushing with a fluoridated toothpaste on salivary fluoride concentration. Caries Res. 43:387 – 390.
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