Hygiene Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

hygiene tribune Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | November-December 20152D < Page 1D: “New Philips Sonicare AirFloss Ultra improves periodontal health in just four weeks” brushes, interdental cleaning devices, apps which monitor and encourage superior oral hygiene routines, as well as in- novative professional whiten- ing products. The company’s focus is on solutions that en- courage holistic health im- provements. A lot of novel products come from Philips’ Sonicare prod- uct line, for example, the new Sonicare for Kids Connected, a Bluetooth electric toothbrush that works together with an app specifically designed to encourage children to develop healthy oral-care habits. The centre of attention was the Philips Sonicare AirFloss Ultra, an innovative product designed to provide an easy and effective way to clean in- between teeth and achieve healthy gingiva. The device features Philips Sonicare’s proprietary technology, which has been combined with a new Triple Burst function that de- livers three powerful blasts of liquid (mouthwash or water) and air to remove plaque and unwanted bacteria more effec- tively and efficiently than pre- vious models. “Based on feedback from den- tal practitioners, we focused on upgrading the existing model with new specifications de- signed to improve interproxi- mal plaque removal and make interdental cleaning even eas- ier,” Kwant said. “In laboratory studies, our improved propri- etary ‘Microburst’ technology removed up to 99.9 per cent of plaque from treated areas, al- though results will vary from patient to patient.” A recent clinical study of the Philips Sonicare AirFloss Ultra reported up to 97 per cent of users had improved periodon- tal health in just four weeks. While the Philips Sonicare AirFloss Ultra has not been de- signed to replace dental floss for those people who already floss consistently, it is clinical- ly proven to be as effective as string floss for improved peri- odontal health — when used in conjunction with an anti-mi- crobial rinse in patients with mild to moderate gingivitis. Vistors could test the new Air Floss on site Bernd Laudahn, head of the Consumer Lifestyle section at Philips DACH, opened the event “Magical Minutes” Gained with Air Polishing – What’s the Return on Investment? By Karen Davis, Texas D ental Hygienist around the world share a com- mon habit… monitoring the clock. How can we increase efficiency without sacrificing clinical effectiveness? Biofilm management with air polish- ing devices and low-abrasive powder has been shown to be significantly more efficient and more comfortable than biofilm removal with hand and ultra- sonic instruments. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits. Biofilmcoversthesurfacesofthe teeth and all of the tight, narrow periodontal pockets. It is sticky and adherent and requires me- chanical disruption to remove it. While power ultrasonic tips and site-specific hand instruments are ideal to remove calcified de- posits, removal of sticky biofilm requires numerous overlapping and repetitive strokes. But by using air polishing devices that combine the synergy of air, wa- ter, and fine powder, biofilm can be lifted off with just 5 seconds of exposure. It is kind to the tis- sue, enamel and root surfaces, porcelain and composite resto- rations, and even implants and implant abutments. Multiple studies have found that while hand instrumentation of subgingival biofilm removal in deep pockets can take between 30-64 seconds, air polishing with glycine powder has repeat- edly been found to take only 5 seconds1,2 . Comparable clinical results were achieved in these studies, but patients consist- ently favored air polishing from a comfort standpoint. And, se- riously… biofilm removal in 5 seconds per pocket! This is ex- actly what I have experienced clinically since shifting to this technology. Since not all air polishing de- vices on the market are suited for low-abrasive powders, clini- cians desiring to efficiently man- age biofilm with subgingival air polishing would likely find themselves investing in devices that give clinicians freedom to use low-abrasive powders such as the E.M.S. AIR-FLOW® handy or the AIR-FLOW Master Piezon® (Fig. 1). While it would be compelling to reference a double-blind, placebo-controlled study con- firming a specific dollar amount as a return-on-investment that study does not exist. So instead, I will share real-world experi- ences. First, let’s appreciate that biofilm management with low-abrasive powder requires a different approach. Since low- abrasive powders and air pol- ishing devices are so efficient in biofilm removal, clinicians can begin with use of that tech- nology, finishing up with use of power and hand instruments to remove calcified deposits and remaining stains. Rubber cup polishing is not required. This simple transition of going after the biofilm first with the most efficient technology saves about 10 minutes of instrumentation time per patient. The most obvious use of those magical minutes could easily be to couple them together to see one more patient per day, per dental hygienist, but I have ex- perienced and observed a very different return-on-investment. Within the allotted time per pa- tient on the schedule, having an extra 8 to 12 minutes due to effi- cient biofilm management with air polishing gives the clinician freedom to be more compre- hensive in his or her services. For example, how many dental hygienists have intra-oral tech- nology that goes unused due to time constraints? When is the last time you sat the patient upright and performed a shade guide analysis to discuss the op- tions of veneers versus whiten- ing or Invisalign? What percent- age of your adult patients today have comprehensive periodon- tal charts that have been updat- ed within the past 12 months in- cluding recession, bleeding and furcation involvements? What if you had time to walk a patient with pending treatment through the benefits of not waiting until symptoms manifest? What if you had time to take impressions for whitening, or collect compre- hensive periodontal data lead- ing to early diagnosis and treat- ment of periodontal disease, or play an educational video ex- plaining the benefits of implants for missing teeth, or provide varnish, sealants and desensitiz- ers to better manage caries risk? These and many other compre- hensive and billable services can be provided, per patient, without running behind when you start your appointment by managing biofilm first with air polishing devices. What is this real return-on-investment? • Happy patients because the process is more comfortable and more efficient. • Happy clinicians because they finally have more T-I-M-E per visit to perform services that have been elusive • Increased profitability as a re- sult of increased services and treatment enrollment by the dental hygienist Sounds too good to be true? Try it yourself, and experience the return-on-investment pos- sibilities with your own magical minutes. References 1.WenstromJL,DahlenG,Ram- berg P. Subgingival debridement of periodontal pockets by air polishing in comparison with ul- trasonic instrumentation during maintenance therapy. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 2011; 38:820-827. 2. Moene R, Decaillet F, Anders- en E, Mombelli A. Subgingival plaque removal using a new air polishing device. Journal of Per- iodontology 2010; 81:79-88. Fig.1: EMS Air-Flow spray For any questions, please con- tact: karen@karendavis.net Karen Davis is a practicing dental hygienist in Dallas, Texas and is owner of Cutting Edge Concepts, a continuing education company. She is an accomplished speaker on top- ics related to practicing com- prehensively. Throughout her career as a dental hygienist and consultant she has served on numerous advisory boards and councils. Many corporations within the industry consider Karen a Key Opinion Leader, and Dentistry Today has recog- nized her as a “Top Clinician in Continuing Education”. Contact Information About the Author

Hygiene Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

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