More health warnings on food are needed to reduce tooth decay, says BMA

Thornton, Jacqui

doi:10.1136/bmj.k2177

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[ 44 45 ] However, toothbrushing does not remove over 40% of plaque, even by well-trained individuals. [ 20 ] To prevent dental caries, other oral cleaning methods should be used to supplement toothbrushing, such as tongue cleaning and oral irrigation, to remove food particles, and therefore, bacterial flora in the oral cavity. [ 46 47 ] Swishing 20–30 mL of water for a couple of minutes after eating or drinking and also between meals can help to remove food particles from the oral cavity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ 19 ] Therefore, after feeding the infant, their gums should be cleaned before bedtime by gently massaging the gum tissues to aid the removal of food particles from the oral cavity. [ 20 ] For children under 6 years, toothbrushing should be supervised by parents until the child can brush independently with excellent dexterity and cognition. [ 21 ] Moreover, tooth “aches” and injuries related to toothbrush use are common in adults and especially children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A novel, simple, frequent oral cleaning method reduces damaging bacteria in the dental microbiota

Chhaliyil¹,

Fischer

Schoel³

et al. 2020

J Int Soc Prevent Communit Dent

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A BSTRACT Aim: Dental diseases can be prevented by reducing early bacterial colonization in biofilm, a precursor to mature dental plaque. Most studies on dental disease pathogenesis focus on mature plaque and fail to address the impact of oral cleaning on biofilm formation. Here we used next-generation metagenomics to assess the effects of a new method of regular, simple biofilm disruption on the oral metagenome. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized, controlled study of 45 healthy children divided into three groups. Participants avoided oral cleaning for 3 days and then performed 10 days of oral cleaning either by: (1) brushing and tongue cleaning twice a day (BT) with toothpaste; (2) Gum and tooth rubbing with Index Finger Tongue cleaning and water Swishing (GIFTS) after each meal, snack, and drink; or (3) GIFTS twice a day with nano-charcoal and tongue cleaning (CT) ( n = 15 per group). Saliva, plaque, and tongue scraping samples were collected on day 0 and 10 for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and next-generation metagenomics sequencing to analyze microbiome taxa differences between groups. Results: GIFTS more significantly reduced ( P < 0.004) total bacteria in saliva than BT ( P < 0.02). Metagenomics revealed a significant reduction in Firmicutes in GIFTS and CT tongue samples compared to BT samples. BT and CT saliva samples showed significantly more Streptococcus species than GIFTS saliva samples. In the plaque samples, GIFTS cleaning significantly reduced early colonizers, including Streptococcus, compared to the BT and CT methods. Conclusion: Here, we introduce the “frequent disruption of biofilm” concept for enhanced oral hygiene. GIFTS can be used to prevent early bacterial colonization of biofilm and plaque formation in both small children and adults. Frequent biofilm disturbance more effectively disrupts early bacterial colonization than twice oral cleaning, is nonabrasive, and is, therefore, a practical and straightforward complement to regular toothbrushing for improved oral hygiene and disease prevention.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel, simple, frequent oral cleaning method reduces damaging bacteria in the dental microbiota

Chhaliyil¹,

Fischer

Schoel³

et al. 2020

J Int Soc Prevent Communit Dent

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Oral Health and Caries Prevention: How Tongue Hygiene Helps Maintain Balance of Microbiota and Overall Health in Pediatric Patients

Mosaico,

Pinna,

Grassi

et al. 2024

Children

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background/Objectives: The tongue harbors about two-thirds of the microorganisms present in the mouth; the stable bacterial population consists mainly of aerobic and facultative anaerobic streptococci. These bacterial colonies, found more frequently on the tongue than on the outside of the hard part of the dental enamel in children younger than 18 months, suggest that the tongue is a potential bacterial reservoir. The aim of this review is to examine the scientific literature to clarify whether the mechanical removal of bacterial biofilm on the tongue can have a positive effect on caries prevention, with the reduction in colony-forming unit (CFU) of salivary streptococcus and the whole-mouth plaque index (FMPS). Methods: An open literature search was conducted by using PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. The most studied age range was 9 to 12 years, with groups of children with no caries and groups with a minimum number of two teeth that were reconstructed, decayed and/or missing (DMFS/dmfs > 2) who experienced different tongue hygiene methods for the first time. Results: Four randomized trials met the search criteria and were included in this review. Conclusions: The results obtained suggest that specific tongue hygiene protocols, combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, could be considered the gold standard to enable more effective primary prevention and improve the health of pediatric patients. This review improves the understanding of the impact of tongue hygiene in controlling the bacteria responsible for the onset of carious disease and its systemic correlates; however, further research with more data is needed to further confirm the findings of this research.

show abstract

More health warnings on food are needed to reduce tooth decay, says BMA

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

A novel, simple, frequent oral cleaning method reduces damaging bacteria in the dental microbiota

A novel, simple, frequent oral cleaning method reduces damaging bacteria in the dental microbiota

Oral Health and Caries Prevention: How Tongue Hygiene Helps Maintain Balance of Microbiota and Overall Health in Pediatric Patients

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About