The Oral Health Foundation has partnered with Johnson & Johnson, the makers of LISTERINE^® to create and publish ‘The Dental Professional’s Guide to Mouthwash Use’.

The new six-page guide has been created as a plaque management tool for you to help patients take control of their own oral health at home.

The booklet covers the role of mouthwash as part of the daily oral health routine, as well as recommendations for mouthwash use based on the latest available evidence.

According to recent research by the Oral Health Foundation, almost half (49%) of the survey participants do not use mouthwash regularly while more than one in three (36%) never use it.²

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation believes mouthwash can be a key component of daily oral hygiene yet has been lost amongst the general public.

Dr Carter says: “A patient’s home routine is fundamentally linked to their oral health status.  The key to developing and maintaining good oral health is effective daily plaque removal that can be independently achieved by the patient.

“While mechanical cleaning dislodges plaque bacteria, data suggests that this is not enough in a majority of people to maintain good levels of oral health.  Therefore, as an addition to brushing and interdental cleaning, we would recommend the use of an effective antimicrobial mouthwash.”

The toolkit also has advice about changing patient behaviour, to increase their probability of adopting daily mouthwash use at home.

It also includes information about the different types of mouthwash available and its role within plaque management.

The Dental Professional’s Guide to Mouthwash Use can be downloaded from the charity’s website while a physical copy of the guide is being included as part of December’s edition of The Probe.

Download your copy here   

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References

1. ORAL HEALTH FOUNDATION (2020) ‘National Smile Month 2020 Survey’, UK, April 2020.