Sunday Times 2
Even dentists differ on the best tooth-brushing method
View(s):NEW YORK (Reuters) – What’s the best way to brush your teeth? Dentists disagree, and no one can say for sure, according to a new study.
“There’s no good evidence at the moment that one method of brushing is more effective than another,” Dr. John Wainwright, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health in an email.
Dental professionals advise different ways to brush teeth (CC BY 2.0 'Toothbrushes' by Anderson Mancini)
He and a colleague, Dr. Aubrey Sheiham, examined tooth-brushing recommendations in dental textbooks, from toothpaste and toothbrush companies and from dental associations in 10 countries. Most sources recommended twice-daily brushing for two minutes, they found.
But dental professionals failed to reach consensus about the preferred brushing method and remained divided about how often to brush and for how long.
“It’s undermining faith and trust in the profession as a whole,” Wainwright said.
“A lot of different dental professionals advise different ways to brush your teeth,” Wainwright said. “With the evidence currently available, a complex method may be no more useful than a simple scrub, which is a lot easier to learn.”