Summary: When designing a home-care plan for patients, the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs created a comprehensive resource to help dentists facilitate home oral care discussions with their patients.
Key considerations for a home oral-care plan include the following:
- General recommendations that are applicable to most people;
- Personalized recommendations specifically targeted to meet the needs of the individual patient, especially patients for increased risk of caries and/or gingivitis; and
- Lifestyle considerations to enhance oral health and wellness.
When it comes to creating a home-care regimen with specific recommendations for oral-disease risk, keep in mind the following:
- This may involve consideration of not only the person’s individual oral-disease risk but the needs and wants of the patient.
- Offer direction concerning lifestyle changes.
- Provide guidance on dental products and mechanical devices. This includes detailed suggestions that can help patients make decisions about dental-hygiene practices and products. Patients may look to their dentists for guidance and recommendations to help discern among the plethora of home oral-care products and mechanical devices that lay claim to oral health benefit. Dentists and patients can look to the ADA Seal of Acceptance program as a source of validated information regarding the safety and efficacy of many home oral-care products.
The goals of dental care are to reduce disease risk and formulate and execute a treatment plan when disease is present. “While generalized recommendations for home oral care may be appropriate to help optimize oral wellness for many patients, those found to be at elevated risk of caries and/or gingivitis may ask their dentists to provide guidance on additional steps that they can take to reduce their risk of oral disease,” the ADA says.
Access the Guide
https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/home-care