E2 HYGIENE TRIBUNE Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 4/2019 Interview: “For most people, toothbrushing is an unconscious action. iTOP changes this.” By Kasper Mussche, DTI Although toothbrushing is the most decisive factor in preventing oral dis- ease, only a few patients and dental professionals know how to brush perfectly. After earlier working as a dental technician and also as a danc- er, Dr Fabio Angelini qualified as a dental hygienist and is now teach- ing internationally as an instructor in CURADEN’s iTOP programme. In- dividually trained oral prophylaxis (iTOP) is an interactive programme that teaches dental students and professionals perfect oral hygiene habits, so that they, in turn, can train their patients to achieve oral health that will last a lifetime. Dr Angelini, what is iTOP and what does individually trained oral prophylaxis mean? In the iTOP programme, dental pro- fessionals become a personal coach to their patients, guiding them and teaching them how to keep their gingivae and teeth clean and per- fectly healthy using the correct tools and the correct techniques on their own and with conscious thought. I say “conscious” because, for most people, toothbrushing is a purely unconscious action. iTOP changes this. The word “individually” is very important to iTOP, as dental profes- sionals and, later, their patients are literally taken by the hand and indi- vidually instructed on how to brush their teeth perfectly. iTOP is also based on the scientific statement that a clean tooth cannot become diseased, or at least that the risk of periodontal disease, caries or tooth loss is significantly reduced by mechanical prevention. iTOP has become a philosophy over the years, thanks to the hard work of all the people who believe in it and teach it. language, network, learn all about prevention and, of course, have fun. It’s a unique opportunity for stu- dents and ideal as an addition to the Erasmus projects organised by uni- versities. What is touch to teach? Touch to teach is the most important aspect of iTOP. It means that, as an in- structor, you take participants by the hand and let them feel or discover a specific movement or sensation. As Dr Jiri Sedelmayer, the dentist who invented the iTOP programme, once said: “It is impossible to understand how to brush your teeth from read- ing a book”. What this means is that theory is not enough to develop the best skills. You have to do it yourself, practise, have an instructor correct you and try again. Because of touch to teach, participants have the op- portunity to truly understand and experience the sensation of hav- ing the thousands of bristles of a CS 5460 working together in the sulcus. For the professionals we teach, it is an exciting tactile experience and they can teach their patients in turn. If no one shows them how it is really done, then how can they achieve the best oral hygiene? What is the main lesson partici- pants take home from an iTOP seminar? The greatest lesson clinicians take home is the knowledge of how sig- nificant the impact of instruction is on their patients’ long-term oral health and how the iTOP skills can be used right away. From the very next day, patients can put prevention into practice and see how a change in their oral hygiene habits will help to improve their oral health. For more info on an iTOP seminar near you, visit: www.itop-dental.com/en/seminars. N E D A R U C © Dental hygienist Dr Fabio Angelini teaches dental professionals and dental students perfect brushing habits at an iTOP seminar in Prague Is correct brushing a skill that is of- ten overlooked? When clinicians start their careers, they already have many years of studying behind them and have been taught the best flap techniques, how to place an implant the best way and so on. However, what they have never been taught is how to brush correctly, although it is the most fundamental skill of all to pre- vent oral disease. More often than not, we have been doing it the same way since we were just old enough to hold a toothbrush. It is often just an automatic movement and we have never learnt exactly how to brush. In reality, however, brushing teeth is an art; it’s a science. Brushing teeth properly, efficiently and atraumati- cally is not easy, nor is it something you should do without thinking. How can iTOP help patients and dental professionals? iTOP helps patients because dental professionals can offer them the knowledge which they themselves have gained at a seminar. They can teach patients to control biofilm for- mation on their teeth and gingivae and how to do this in the most ef- fective and atraumatic way. Patients who incorporate the techniques taught at an iTOP seminar into their daily brushing routine can expect to achieve optimal oral health. The tools and techniques used at an iTOP seminar are really a gateway to life- long oral health, which in turn offers benefits to the whole body. For dental professionals, the ac- quired iTOP skills can play a key role in their daily practice, for instance, as an essential part of therapy after oral surgery or periodontal treatment. iTOP gives professionals the skills to work to the best of their ability, and it is really personal teaching which allows clinicians to ally with their patients in order to obtain and main- tain good oral health. How strong is iTOP currently in Italy? In Italy, the interest of dental profes- sionals in iTOP is growing day by day. There are some professionals who have attended a seminar in the past but many are new to the concept and have only just heard about it. Moreo- ver, iTOP is gaining importance at universities too, as there are more and more students participating in the seminars or student camps that take place all around Europe and South America. For dental students these camps are a really good way to get in touch with their peers from other countries, exchange experi- ences, get to know a new culture or New evidence confirms long-term benefits of electric toothbrush use By Oral-B SCHWALBACH, Germany/GREIF- SWALD, Germany: A new study has shown that the long-term use of an electric toothbrush slows progres- sion of periodontal disease and helps to prevent tooth loss. As indicated by an 11-year observational study, electric toothbrush users demon- strate 20 per cent less tooth loss than manual toothbrush users do. For one market leader in electric tooth- brushes worldwide, Oral-B, the re- sults confirm the company’s efforts to improve periodontal health by plaque removal. the Study of Health in Pomerania and the type of toothbrush as ex- posure variable, periodontal status, caries and tooth loss were analysed by researchers from the University of Greifswald in Germany. Over- all, the study found that the use of power toothbrushes improves peri- odontal health by plaque removal, resulting in reduced pocket depth and clinical attachment loss. Sub- sequently, those users were found to have 20 per cent more teeth pre- sent than manual toothbrush users. Thus, the researchers concluded that widespread usage of powered tooth- brushes can be recommended. Using data on 2,819 subjects from Besides the oral health benefits of power toothbrushes, their rising popularity is also indicated by the findings. At the start of the 11-year study, 18 per cent of the participants used an electric toothbrush. Towards the end, the figure had risen to 37 per cent. This trend is supported by the fact that the power brush market grew by 6 per cent from 2012 to 2016. Dr Anja Carina Borer, Head of Pro- fessional and Scientific Relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Oral-B, said in a statement: “We are very happy that our efforts to promote electric toothbrushing as a way to improve oral and especially gum health are now also scientifi- cally supported in the long term. It proves what over 150 clinical studies have already indicated and will fur- ther drive the trend among patients to choose superior electric tooth- brushes with oscillating-rotating technology.” As the market leader in this segment, Oral-B links the positive results to its proven oscillating-rotating tech- nology. Its effectiveness stems from movements in 3-D and a small, round brush head. This makes it pos- sible to remove up to 100 per cent more plaque in even hard-to-reach areas. For the third time, its supe- riority over manual toothbrushes was confirmed by the renowned Cochrane organisation—an inter- independent national, institute which reviewed 51 clinical studies with 4,624 participants. The results confirmed that oscillating-rotating electric toothbrushes reduce plaque more effectively, improving oral and especially gingival health demon- strably, both in the short and in the long term, compared with manual toothbrushes. The study, titled “Long-term im- pact of powered toothbrush on oral health: 11-year cohort study”, was published online on 22 May 2019 in the Journal of Clinical Periodontol- ogy, ahead of inclusion in an issue.