Hygiene Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

hygiene tribuneDental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | November-December 2015 1D > Page 2D > Page 4D New Philips Sonicare AirFloss Ultra improves periodontal health in just four weeks By Philips C OLOGNE, Germa- ny: Dutch healthcare manufacturer Philips presented its latest innova- tions in oral healthcare at the Philips media breakfast on 10 March at the International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne. One of the main innovations is the new interdental cleaning device, Philips Sonicare Air- Floss Ultra. Study results show this device is able to improve periodontal health in just four weeks. The product is now available in the UAE Among other products, Philips presents the next generation Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum with a new AdaptiveClean brush head and the new Air Floss Ultra. (Photograph: Claudia Duschek, DTI) Sinead Kwant, Category Lead- er for Philips Oral Healthcare, said: “We’re very excited to present the latest solutions from the Philips Oral Health- care range at IDS, particularly as we’re seeing consumers show an increasing interest in the role that oral health care has on people’s overall health and wellness.” Philips introduced a wide range of innovative products and solutions at this year’s IDS, such as new electric tooth- Oral Probiotics - it is Time to add Friendly Bacteria to the Mix By Dr. Jaco Smith, UK B rush more, floss more, use automated tooth- brushes, a water pik, or place sulcular antibiotics? What regimens are you cur- rently recommending in your office for your patients’ oral hygiene maintenance and pre- vention? What if I told you that mechanical removal of bad bacteria might not be enough to ensure optimal oral health in all of your patients? After all, if simple removal of bacteria was beneficial then mouth washes would rein supreme chemi- cal adjunct to mechanical re- moval. The problem is that this chemical warfare kills all types of oral bacteria, including the good! The potential issue is that prob- lems can become worse be- cause good bacteria are target- ed and reduced and numbers can decline to levels that allow bad bacteria to take over. What if the war on bad bacteria could be won with target warfare by out numbering them! It is time to consider adding friendly bac- teria to the mix. There is an entire category of products that is underutilized in the dental profession — oral probiotics. In fact, they are a category unto themselves. Oral probiotics have the poten- tial to make a significant im- pact on the oral health of our patients, and systemic health by extension. While not yet a therapeutic modality that we could include in a periodontal patient’s active phase of treat- ment,oralprobioticsareamong the best options we can use for patients in differing states of disease or health. According to the current ad- opted definition by the World Health Organization, probiot- ics are: “Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.” Lactic acid bacteria (lactobacil- lus), Streptococcus and Bifido- bacteria are the most common types of microbes used as pro- biotics and have been widely accepted in the medical profes- sion. Some benefits of probiot- ics are decreased hypertension, managing lactose intolerance, lowering cholesterol, overall GI health and soon to be added is improved oral health and car- ies prevention. The beauty of oral probiotics are the simple, commonsense manner in which it works. All oral probiotics are natu- rally occurring live bacteria, freeze-dried and delivered to the mouth in different ways, i.e. mouthwash and lozenges. These products contain differ- ent species of oral probiotics, which are natural colonizers of a healthy mouth, rather than genetically engineered. The patient dissolves one mint in the mouth per day. The bacteria are released and compete with various pathogenic bacteria for binding sites. The sites on the teeth and gums occupied by the probiotic bacteria reduce the surface area available for dis- ease-causing bacterial coloni- zation. Furthermore, they also compete for nutrients. Use of oral probiotics Caries  As dentists we advise patients to avoid sugar to pre- vent caries. Have you ever won- dered why some patients’ diets are loaded with sugar, and yet they are relatively caries free, while others partake in a diet only light with sugar (sub- strate) and they are highly car- ies active? How do you respond to this patient amongst team members? “They are drinking more soda then they are telling us” or “eating more sugar-filled snacks then they let on.” Here is the truth when it comes to car- ies: It isn’t the sugar that causes cavities but how streptococcus bacteria use sugar and produce lactic acid that causes decay. The ecological plaque hypoth- esis states that caries and peri- odontitis, the 2 most common biofilm- associated diseases in the world, originate from a disturbance in the balance and diversity in the biofilm. Con- tributing causes may be inad- equate oral hygiene, incorrect diet, stress and/or other factors which determine the micro- ecology. Caries is caused by the presence of acidogenic and aci-

Hygiene Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

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