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Keeping up with prevention at the ADA
Keeping up with prevention at the ADA
Mary Bernhardt
Prevention is the A ssociation’s message to the public through all available communications media: the press, magazines, films, television, dental health education materials, patient educa tion programs, and school curriculums. High lights of prevention projects for the profession are an annual award program and a new preven tive practice manual. This consistent preventive orientation has been the keynote set by the Coordinating Com mittee on Preventive Dentistry in carrying out its assignment from the Board of Trustees in 1971 of “ reviewing current activities and developing new programs for promoting the various aspects of preventive dentistry.” Chaired by Executive Director C. Gordon Watson, the committee is composed of eight Association department heads with the guidance of five consultants represent ing specific interests of dentistry: Juliann S. Bluitt, Chicago (education, auxiliaries); Hudson D. Heidorf, Cleveland (general practice); Robert I. Kaplan, Cherry Hill, NJ (pedodontics); Rich ard C. Oliver, Loma Linda, Calif (periodontics); and A . Stephen Rouss, Birmingham, Ala (gen eral practice). In its statement o f philosophy, the committee asserts that “ the commitment to prevention must pervade the dentist’s approach to all types of treatment and guide him in his communications with his patients, his colleagues and the public.” This article describes some of the A ssociation’s prevention-oriented activities developed under the influence o f the committee.
Prevention practice manual Under the editorship of Robert Kaplan, the com mittee consultants are writing their own preven tive practice manual. They are aware that some of the enthusiasm for preventive dentistry has
subsided, leaving some dentists disappointed with the results on their practice and patients. “ The enthusiasm that was generated has lev eled off somewhat now ,” said Kaplan, “ and the passage of time has permitted a more tempered view .” The committee consultants believe that the principles of preventive dentistry will pre vail, but must be freed from the magic formula, personal charisma approach which characterized much of the prevention campaign to the profes sion. The coordinating committee’s manual will set down basic, practical precepts and include refer ences to further details and background. Expect ed to be available by October 1974, the manual will include chapters on the use o f fluorides, es tablishment o f a plaque control program, patient motivation, explanations for the patient about plaque, nutritional counseling, and a pep talk to dentists to extend their prevention interests to their community. Specialized assistance on nu trition was provided by Abraham N izel of B os ton.
Magazines and newspapers Much of the public’s interest in preventive den tal care can be attributed to the wave of articles on prevention which have appeared in national consumer magazines as well as in feature articles or columns in newspapers. The Bureau o f Pub lic Information’s mass media program on pre vention has prompted articles in such magazines as R eaders D igest, Ladies H om e Journal, F am ily Circle, B etter H om es & Gardens, Parents M agazine, Cosmopolitan, Changing Times, Woman’s D ay, U.S. N ew s & World R eport, Weight Watchers, Family H ealth, Seventeen, H arper’s Bazaar, Be Beautiful, and Retirem ent Living. JADA, Vol. 89, July 1974 ■ 101
Through the Bureau’s continuing close coop eration with T oday’s Health, the American Medical A ssociation’s consumer publication, the magazine has published several major dental articles including “ The new preventive dentist ry” and “ Foods and drinks that will cause you the few est cavities.” In addition, since April 1972, T o d a y’s H ealth has featured a monthly column on dentistry by Alfred E. Seyler, Detroit. The Bureau regularly provides prepared news paper articles and news releases that highlight prevention among other timely dental subjects. A heightened interest in dental health among newspaper writers is documented by the 73% increase in entries to the A ssociation’s Science Writers Award in 1972 and another 43% increase in 1973. Preventive dentistry has been one of the recurring themes in the entries to the award con test, which is supported by a grant from Lever Brothers. The competition encourages the writ ing o f articles that “ broaden and deepen public understanding o f dental disease, dental treatment and dental research.” In addition to assisting reporters and feature writers who contact A D A Headquarters by phone and letter, the Bureau supplies 2,000 local daily and weekly newspapers with an illustrated feature service. Subjects have included general prevention, brushing and flossing techniques, and consumer purchase o f oral hygiene aids.
Public service TV spots Color and clever cartooning are the eye-catching advantages o f public service television spot films as a medium for preventive information for both children and adults. The Bureau o f Public Infor mation regularly distributes free TV spots to more than 500 stations, and nearly $10 million in free broadcast time is donated to A D A health messages each year. The 10-, 30-, or 60-second films also are available for purchase or rental from the Bureau of Audiovisual Service. Network use of dental health spots is grow ing. N B C accepted three dental health spots for nationwide use in 1973. A B C , for the first time last year, scheduled nationwide showings o f a dental health spot. CBS recently accepted two spots on nutrition and dental health for national distribution. Indicative o f the approach used are some o f these current spots which may be seen on tele vision this year. 102 ■ JADA, Vol. 89, July 1974
—On the R ight Track: The responsibilities of a child for his oral health are similar to the respon sibilities an engineer has for his train. — O ld Max: Good nutrition is the theme of this spot, produced in cooperation with the American Academy of Pediatrics. —A sk M e about Plaque: A lapel button leads to a discussion o f how plaque control can help prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay. —Down with Plaque: The campaign message is to brush and floss daily. —Alice in Looking G lass Land: The walrus lectures Alice and Tweedledum and Tweedledee on dental home care. —Skylab D ental Prevention: Plaque control gets special emphasis in the oral hygiene prac tices o f astronauts on long Skylab missions. Save your Teeth, a 30-second message about periodontal disease for adults, is the first A sso ciation spot to include an invitation to write in for information. Persons who write are sent a new leaflet, “ Seven warning signs of gum dis ease,” and specific questions, if any, are an swered by the Bureau o f Dental Health Educa tion. More than 3,000 requests were received in an eight-month period. The Bureau staff also provides dental health assistance to two television series on health as well as to children’s programming such as “ Rom per Room” and “ Captain Kangaroo.”
Dental health education materials The development of dental health education ma terials for patients (described more fully in the June 1974 issue o f t h e j o u r n a l , page 1310) has taken on a consistent prevention emphasis when ever the subject permits, as the policy of the Bu reau of Dental Health Education. A Bureau best seller is “ Cleaning your teeth and gums,” which includes up-to-date information on using disclosants, dental floss, and a toothbrush to remove plaque daily. A new approach in materials for dentist use is the series of eight single-concept leaflets on plaque control and prevention to be used sequen tially as a total series. Designed as hand-outs or envelope staffers to support office instruc tion, the small four-page flyers are titled: “ What is plaque,” “ Remove the plaque,” “ Disclose the enem y,” “ Flossing can be fun,” “ Toothbrushing tips,” “ What about fluoridation,” “ N u trition and dental disease,” and “ It’s up to you!”
Last year the traditional toothbrushing kit was replaced by a plaque control kit intended for pre school and school dental health education. In cluded are soft-bristled toothbrushes, disclosing tablets, floss, and selected printed materials for instruction. National Children’s Dental Health Week, pro moted by the Bureau, has featured prevention in slogans and recommended projects. Recent pre ventive themes include “ Plaque free in ’73” and the 1974 slogan, “ Kick the sweet snack habit.” (A report of 1974 dental health week activities appears on page 91 of this issue.)
Patient education seminar Communication with patients is the keystone to effective preventive practice. For instruction o f dental personnel in communicating effectively with their patients, the Bureau of Dental Health Education offers patient education seminars for dental groups. The objectives of these meetings are to improve interpersonal communications skills and to relate more meaningfully with pa tients as persons; to define what dentists want patients “ to know and to do as part of good den tal health behavior” ; and to develop skills in mo tivating patients to adopt preventive dental health behavior. Varying in length from three to ten hours, the seminars have been given by Bureau staff throughout the country at annual meetings, in continuing education programs, at component society meetings, for dental and dental hygiene schools, and at special conferences.
Prevention curriculum The school-age population, kindergarten through high school, is the potential audience for a proj ect specially earmarked by the coordinating committee— a prevention-oriented, multi-media curriculum. The development of this project by the Bureau o f Dental Health Education has been described in t h e j o u r n a l (88:1310 June 1974). Perhaps partially responsible for the project’s success is the relatively low cost o f the curricu lum materials and a flexible format that permits schools and teachers to use the entire program or whatever part fits their needs. For the Bureau’s total program, the new cur
riculum provides a focal point on which to center new films, leaflets, and other materials. The ref erence section o f the A ssociation’s 1974 catalog is color keyed to indicate those materials that can be used with the overall curriculum. The school project has been received enthu siastically by schools, teachers, and dental so cieties. Several state and local dental societies are interested in working with schools to imple ment the preventive curriculum, and the Bureau staff will provide assistance to these projects. Even as the curriculum goes into operation in schools, the Bureau has already arranged for evaluations to improve its future revision.
Prevention films Entertainment plus preventive education—the approach of new dental health education films —has resulted in heavy orders for films, some of which have received awards. Though suitable for almost any audience, many o f the new films have been developed specifically for the preven tion curriculum. For purchase or for rental from the Bureau of Audiovisual Service are these new prevention films: —Showdown at Sweet R ock Gulch: A west ern filmed in Old Tucson stars the Bad Health Gang, led by Plaque, which is banished from town by two children with brush and floss. — Teeth are fo r K eeping: Two 10-year olds, a black and a Spanish-American, take shelter from a pursuer in a ghetto dental clinic, and two young dentists take this opportunity to explain preventive concepts in a breezy dialogue. —The Munchers: A lively, colorful, musical, and animated film set in the mouth explains good nutrition to children. —D oorw ay to D ental H ealth: Playing many roles, Dr. Prevent instructs his patient on all phases of prevention. Three trigger films to stim ulate discussion are available for high school, adult, and teacher audiences. These are 90-sec ond presentations o f a situation that is deliber ately provocative and left unresolved to “ trig ger” response from an audience.
Patient counseling film program N ew prevention subjects are featured in the A D A Patient Counseling Film Program, using short, B ernhardt: PREVENTION AT ADA ■ 103
8-mm motion pictures that are shown ov small projectors in the dentist’s office. The patient can view the films without the dentist’s supervision. Subjects of new prevention film cartridges in the Patient Counseling library include periodon tal disease, trigger foods in the decay process, flossing and brushing, use of water irrigators as an additional aid in home oral hygiene, and care o f children’s teeth. The films, which use live pho tography and animation, run from IV2 to 10 min utes. Information on this program is available from Professional Research, Inc., 461 N LaBrea A ve, Los Angeles, 90036.
Award program Stimulating publicity, appreciation, and duplica tion for prevention projects in the dental profes sion is the A D A Preventive Dentistry Award program, funded by Johnson & Johnson. Top prize winners o f $1,000 each have included the San Mateo County dental society Brushmobile, North Carolina’s statewide prevention program, pit and fissure sealant research, a prevention curriculum, a motivational guide for patients on plaque control, and guidelines for pedodontic practice. Winners of meritorious awards have included the Dr. Dial telephone call-in information pro gram, a prevention textbook, curriculums, a lo cal public health program, a statewide fluorida tion campaign, and preventive programs for spe cial population groups. More details on community-oriented projects are presented in the report (page 105 o f this issue) by the Council on Dental Health, which administers the program. Dentists, dental students, dental auxiliaries, and wom en’s auxiliaries are eligible to enter proj ects in the annual competition. Winners have in cluded practicing dentists, a state health depart ment, local dental societies, a women’s auxili ary, dental students, and dental educators. Information on the award is available from the Council on Dental Health.
104 ■ JADA, Vol. 89, July 1974
Coverage and consensus The coordinating committee’s influence has spread to many other areas, some as practical a project as insurance coverage and others as phil osophical as setting down guidelines for oral hy giene information. For instance, the Council on Dental Care Programs was directed to explore ways of extending preventive benefits in dental insurance programs. After studying existing ex perience, the Council recommended pilot cover age for the A D A Dental Health Care Plan, ad ministered by Illinois Dental Service, for A D A employees and dependents. Rather than recom mending coverage of plaque control instruction packages, the Council recommended that pay ment be made on a per-visit basis for up to three visits including initial oral hygiene instruction and two control checkups. In 1972, a group o f experts was invited to ad vise the staff on providing a consistent oral hy giene message to the public. In a meeting and through correspondence thrashing through dif ferent philosophies and data on how many times to brush the teeth and how often to floss, the group slowly came to a consensus on the follow ing message which is used as the basis for A sso ciation materials: To help prevent dental decay and gum disease, bac terial plaque should be removed from all tooth sur faces a minimum of once a day. To do this thorough ly, use of dental floss and a toothbrush are necessary. For some people, more frequent plaque removal may be recommended by their dentist. Children and de cay-prone adults should regularly use a fluoride tooth paste in addition to drinking fluoridated water. The intake of sweets, particularly sweet snacks, should be limited.
The full “ A D A statement on oral hygiene” is available from the Council on Dental Health.
Mary Bernhardt is secretary of the Council on Dental Health and is secretary of the ADA Coordinating Committee on Preventive Dentistry.
Mary Bernhardt
Prevention is the A ssociation’s message to the public through all available communications media: the press, magazines, films, television, dental health education materials, patient educa tion programs, and school curriculums. High lights of prevention projects for the profession are an annual award program and a new preven tive practice manual. This consistent preventive orientation has been the keynote set by the Coordinating Com mittee on Preventive Dentistry in carrying out its assignment from the Board of Trustees in 1971 of “ reviewing current activities and developing new programs for promoting the various aspects of preventive dentistry.” Chaired by Executive Director C. Gordon Watson, the committee is composed of eight Association department heads with the guidance of five consultants represent ing specific interests of dentistry: Juliann S. Bluitt, Chicago (education, auxiliaries); Hudson D. Heidorf, Cleveland (general practice); Robert I. Kaplan, Cherry Hill, NJ (pedodontics); Rich ard C. Oliver, Loma Linda, Calif (periodontics); and A . Stephen Rouss, Birmingham, Ala (gen eral practice). In its statement o f philosophy, the committee asserts that “ the commitment to prevention must pervade the dentist’s approach to all types of treatment and guide him in his communications with his patients, his colleagues and the public.” This article describes some of the A ssociation’s prevention-oriented activities developed under the influence o f the committee.
Prevention practice manual Under the editorship of Robert Kaplan, the com mittee consultants are writing their own preven tive practice manual. They are aware that some of the enthusiasm for preventive dentistry has
subsided, leaving some dentists disappointed with the results on their practice and patients. “ The enthusiasm that was generated has lev eled off somewhat now ,” said Kaplan, “ and the passage of time has permitted a more tempered view .” The committee consultants believe that the principles of preventive dentistry will pre vail, but must be freed from the magic formula, personal charisma approach which characterized much of the prevention campaign to the profes sion. The coordinating committee’s manual will set down basic, practical precepts and include refer ences to further details and background. Expect ed to be available by October 1974, the manual will include chapters on the use o f fluorides, es tablishment o f a plaque control program, patient motivation, explanations for the patient about plaque, nutritional counseling, and a pep talk to dentists to extend their prevention interests to their community. Specialized assistance on nu trition was provided by Abraham N izel of B os ton.
Magazines and newspapers Much of the public’s interest in preventive den tal care can be attributed to the wave of articles on prevention which have appeared in national consumer magazines as well as in feature articles or columns in newspapers. The Bureau o f Pub lic Information’s mass media program on pre vention has prompted articles in such magazines as R eaders D igest, Ladies H om e Journal, F am ily Circle, B etter H om es & Gardens, Parents M agazine, Cosmopolitan, Changing Times, Woman’s D ay, U.S. N ew s & World R eport, Weight Watchers, Family H ealth, Seventeen, H arper’s Bazaar, Be Beautiful, and Retirem ent Living. JADA, Vol. 89, July 1974 ■ 101
Through the Bureau’s continuing close coop eration with T oday’s Health, the American Medical A ssociation’s consumer publication, the magazine has published several major dental articles including “ The new preventive dentist ry” and “ Foods and drinks that will cause you the few est cavities.” In addition, since April 1972, T o d a y’s H ealth has featured a monthly column on dentistry by Alfred E. Seyler, Detroit. The Bureau regularly provides prepared news paper articles and news releases that highlight prevention among other timely dental subjects. A heightened interest in dental health among newspaper writers is documented by the 73% increase in entries to the A ssociation’s Science Writers Award in 1972 and another 43% increase in 1973. Preventive dentistry has been one of the recurring themes in the entries to the award con test, which is supported by a grant from Lever Brothers. The competition encourages the writ ing o f articles that “ broaden and deepen public understanding o f dental disease, dental treatment and dental research.” In addition to assisting reporters and feature writers who contact A D A Headquarters by phone and letter, the Bureau supplies 2,000 local daily and weekly newspapers with an illustrated feature service. Subjects have included general prevention, brushing and flossing techniques, and consumer purchase o f oral hygiene aids.
Public service TV spots Color and clever cartooning are the eye-catching advantages o f public service television spot films as a medium for preventive information for both children and adults. The Bureau o f Public Infor mation regularly distributes free TV spots to more than 500 stations, and nearly $10 million in free broadcast time is donated to A D A health messages each year. The 10-, 30-, or 60-second films also are available for purchase or rental from the Bureau of Audiovisual Service. Network use of dental health spots is grow ing. N B C accepted three dental health spots for nationwide use in 1973. A B C , for the first time last year, scheduled nationwide showings o f a dental health spot. CBS recently accepted two spots on nutrition and dental health for national distribution. Indicative o f the approach used are some o f these current spots which may be seen on tele vision this year. 102 ■ JADA, Vol. 89, July 1974
—On the R ight Track: The responsibilities of a child for his oral health are similar to the respon sibilities an engineer has for his train. — O ld Max: Good nutrition is the theme of this spot, produced in cooperation with the American Academy of Pediatrics. —A sk M e about Plaque: A lapel button leads to a discussion o f how plaque control can help prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay. —Down with Plaque: The campaign message is to brush and floss daily. —Alice in Looking G lass Land: The walrus lectures Alice and Tweedledum and Tweedledee on dental home care. —Skylab D ental Prevention: Plaque control gets special emphasis in the oral hygiene prac tices o f astronauts on long Skylab missions. Save your Teeth, a 30-second message about periodontal disease for adults, is the first A sso ciation spot to include an invitation to write in for information. Persons who write are sent a new leaflet, “ Seven warning signs of gum dis ease,” and specific questions, if any, are an swered by the Bureau o f Dental Health Educa tion. More than 3,000 requests were received in an eight-month period. The Bureau staff also provides dental health assistance to two television series on health as well as to children’s programming such as “ Rom per Room” and “ Captain Kangaroo.”
Dental health education materials The development of dental health education ma terials for patients (described more fully in the June 1974 issue o f t h e j o u r n a l , page 1310) has taken on a consistent prevention emphasis when ever the subject permits, as the policy of the Bu reau of Dental Health Education. A Bureau best seller is “ Cleaning your teeth and gums,” which includes up-to-date information on using disclosants, dental floss, and a toothbrush to remove plaque daily. A new approach in materials for dentist use is the series of eight single-concept leaflets on plaque control and prevention to be used sequen tially as a total series. Designed as hand-outs or envelope staffers to support office instruc tion, the small four-page flyers are titled: “ What is plaque,” “ Remove the plaque,” “ Disclose the enem y,” “ Flossing can be fun,” “ Toothbrushing tips,” “ What about fluoridation,” “ N u trition and dental disease,” and “ It’s up to you!”
Last year the traditional toothbrushing kit was replaced by a plaque control kit intended for pre school and school dental health education. In cluded are soft-bristled toothbrushes, disclosing tablets, floss, and selected printed materials for instruction. National Children’s Dental Health Week, pro moted by the Bureau, has featured prevention in slogans and recommended projects. Recent pre ventive themes include “ Plaque free in ’73” and the 1974 slogan, “ Kick the sweet snack habit.” (A report of 1974 dental health week activities appears on page 91 of this issue.)
Patient education seminar Communication with patients is the keystone to effective preventive practice. For instruction o f dental personnel in communicating effectively with their patients, the Bureau of Dental Health Education offers patient education seminars for dental groups. The objectives of these meetings are to improve interpersonal communications skills and to relate more meaningfully with pa tients as persons; to define what dentists want patients “ to know and to do as part of good den tal health behavior” ; and to develop skills in mo tivating patients to adopt preventive dental health behavior. Varying in length from three to ten hours, the seminars have been given by Bureau staff throughout the country at annual meetings, in continuing education programs, at component society meetings, for dental and dental hygiene schools, and at special conferences.
Prevention curriculum The school-age population, kindergarten through high school, is the potential audience for a proj ect specially earmarked by the coordinating committee— a prevention-oriented, multi-media curriculum. The development of this project by the Bureau o f Dental Health Education has been described in t h e j o u r n a l (88:1310 June 1974). Perhaps partially responsible for the project’s success is the relatively low cost o f the curricu lum materials and a flexible format that permits schools and teachers to use the entire program or whatever part fits their needs. For the Bureau’s total program, the new cur
riculum provides a focal point on which to center new films, leaflets, and other materials. The ref erence section o f the A ssociation’s 1974 catalog is color keyed to indicate those materials that can be used with the overall curriculum. The school project has been received enthu siastically by schools, teachers, and dental so cieties. Several state and local dental societies are interested in working with schools to imple ment the preventive curriculum, and the Bureau staff will provide assistance to these projects. Even as the curriculum goes into operation in schools, the Bureau has already arranged for evaluations to improve its future revision.
Prevention films Entertainment plus preventive education—the approach of new dental health education films —has resulted in heavy orders for films, some of which have received awards. Though suitable for almost any audience, many o f the new films have been developed specifically for the preven tion curriculum. For purchase or for rental from the Bureau of Audiovisual Service are these new prevention films: —Showdown at Sweet R ock Gulch: A west ern filmed in Old Tucson stars the Bad Health Gang, led by Plaque, which is banished from town by two children with brush and floss. — Teeth are fo r K eeping: Two 10-year olds, a black and a Spanish-American, take shelter from a pursuer in a ghetto dental clinic, and two young dentists take this opportunity to explain preventive concepts in a breezy dialogue. —The Munchers: A lively, colorful, musical, and animated film set in the mouth explains good nutrition to children. —D oorw ay to D ental H ealth: Playing many roles, Dr. Prevent instructs his patient on all phases of prevention. Three trigger films to stim ulate discussion are available for high school, adult, and teacher audiences. These are 90-sec ond presentations o f a situation that is deliber ately provocative and left unresolved to “ trig ger” response from an audience.
Patient counseling film program N ew prevention subjects are featured in the A D A Patient Counseling Film Program, using short, B ernhardt: PREVENTION AT ADA ■ 103
8-mm motion pictures that are shown ov small projectors in the dentist’s office. The patient can view the films without the dentist’s supervision. Subjects of new prevention film cartridges in the Patient Counseling library include periodon tal disease, trigger foods in the decay process, flossing and brushing, use of water irrigators as an additional aid in home oral hygiene, and care o f children’s teeth. The films, which use live pho tography and animation, run from IV2 to 10 min utes. Information on this program is available from Professional Research, Inc., 461 N LaBrea A ve, Los Angeles, 90036.
Award program Stimulating publicity, appreciation, and duplica tion for prevention projects in the dental profes sion is the A D A Preventive Dentistry Award program, funded by Johnson & Johnson. Top prize winners o f $1,000 each have included the San Mateo County dental society Brushmobile, North Carolina’s statewide prevention program, pit and fissure sealant research, a prevention curriculum, a motivational guide for patients on plaque control, and guidelines for pedodontic practice. Winners of meritorious awards have included the Dr. Dial telephone call-in information pro gram, a prevention textbook, curriculums, a lo cal public health program, a statewide fluorida tion campaign, and preventive programs for spe cial population groups. More details on community-oriented projects are presented in the report (page 105 o f this issue) by the Council on Dental Health, which administers the program. Dentists, dental students, dental auxiliaries, and wom en’s auxiliaries are eligible to enter proj ects in the annual competition. Winners have in cluded practicing dentists, a state health depart ment, local dental societies, a women’s auxili ary, dental students, and dental educators. Information on the award is available from the Council on Dental Health.
104 ■ JADA, Vol. 89, July 1974
Coverage and consensus The coordinating committee’s influence has spread to many other areas, some as practical a project as insurance coverage and others as phil osophical as setting down guidelines for oral hy giene information. For instance, the Council on Dental Care Programs was directed to explore ways of extending preventive benefits in dental insurance programs. After studying existing ex perience, the Council recommended pilot cover age for the A D A Dental Health Care Plan, ad ministered by Illinois Dental Service, for A D A employees and dependents. Rather than recom mending coverage of plaque control instruction packages, the Council recommended that pay ment be made on a per-visit basis for up to three visits including initial oral hygiene instruction and two control checkups. In 1972, a group o f experts was invited to ad vise the staff on providing a consistent oral hy giene message to the public. In a meeting and through correspondence thrashing through dif ferent philosophies and data on how many times to brush the teeth and how often to floss, the group slowly came to a consensus on the follow ing message which is used as the basis for A sso ciation materials: To help prevent dental decay and gum disease, bac terial plaque should be removed from all tooth sur faces a minimum of once a day. To do this thorough ly, use of dental floss and a toothbrush are necessary. For some people, more frequent plaque removal may be recommended by their dentist. Children and de cay-prone adults should regularly use a fluoride tooth paste in addition to drinking fluoridated water. The intake of sweets, particularly sweet snacks, should be limited.
The full “ A D A statement on oral hygiene” is available from the Council on Dental Health.
Mary Bernhardt is secretary of the Council on Dental Health and is secretary of the ADA Coordinating Committee on Preventive Dentistry.