As restrictions are eased across the UK, and face coverings are no longer mandatory, the government tells us that we need to take individual responsibility for our health. At the same time, dental surgeries are battling with a huge backlog of appointments. We look at what you can do on your own to keep your mouth healthy in the face of rising COVID-19 case numbers...

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented enormous challenges to patients and dental practices over the past months – but in a strange way has been a positive for dentistry. So said Diane Rochford, a dental hygienist at Linda Greenwall & Associates, London, and the current President of the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy...

Cancer patients have many challenges to contend with, and they may view oral health as a low priority, says dental hygienist Joss Harding. The best way to help them is to listen closely to what they say, and build a good collaboration with the medical team. Listen to patients who have a cancer diagnosis, and adapt your approach to what they tell you. This was the strong message of dental hygienist Joss Harding, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, who has a particular interest and expertise in working with patients suffering from cancer. Joss was speaking at BioMin’s expert panel discussion at the...

Supporting your patient’s oral hygiene, and recommending a remineralising toothpaste like BioMin® F, gives them the best result and leads to recommendations, says orthodontist Dr Ariane Sampson ‘There’s no point in embarking on orthodontic treatment if we leave the teeth in a less healthy state than when we began.’ This was the view of orthodontist Dr Ariane Sampson, speaking at the BioMin Expert Panel session at Dentistry’s Oral Health Summit. The theme of the session was to explore ‘the smart way to provide preventative oral care for a profitable practice’, and Dr Sampson maintained that...

The COVID-19 pandemic has made patients take responsibility for their own oral health, and opens a door to a conversation about the link between perio disease and systemic illness, says Dr Victoria Sampson ‘Weirdly, the COVID pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for dental professionals’. This was the surprising view of London dental practitioner Dr Victoria Sampson, speaking at BioMin’s expert panel session at the recent Oral Health Summit. Because patients have been unable to visit their dentist for checkups, or get their teeth professionally cleaned by the hygienist during lockdown...

The technology behind BioMin® F toothpaste is radically different from that in conventional toothpastes based on soluble fluoride, and the guidelines that apply to them are simply not relevant to BioMin F. So says one of its developers, Professor Robert Hill, a materials scientist at Queen Mary University London, who has spent many years researching and developing the bioactive glass technology that underpins BioMin F. Professor Hill was speaking at BioMin’s expert panel webinar at the recent Oral Health Summit, where he and an impressive panel of clinicians gave their insights into best...

To mark the Oral Health Foundation’s Smile Month, with its focus on good brushing, 2 June heralds The Great British Brushathon National Smile Month takes place every year, and is currently running from Monday 17 May to Thursday 17 June. During the month, the Foundation puts on a range of events, information and competitions to raise awareness of oral health issues, and the Great British Brushathon aims to connect people from all around the world in a giant communal brushing event. People are being asked to take a selfie or video while brushing their teeth, and post it on their social media to...

We report from the BioMin expert panel session at the Oral Health Summit, where our specialists discussed best practice and shared their insights as to how optimised oral hygiene can be a win-win for patient and practice. Maintaining patients’ optimal oral hygiene – especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic – means a win-win for the patient, the clinician and the practice. This belief was shared by an eminent panel of specialists which formed BioMin’s presentation at the Oral Health Summit, organised to mark the Oral Health Foundation’s National Smile Month. BioMin’s impressive line-up...

Endurance athletes are at particular risk of dental problems due to their intensive training and their diet. In a special mini-series about sport and dental health, Manon Testou talks to top cyclist Rudy Molard about the oral hygiene regime that keeps his mouth healthy

It’s no longer about the clinician being the expert, says hygienist and coach Siobhan Kelleher. Nowadays a coaching approach, involving the patient fully, is the way to change behaviour and improve the symptoms of dentine hypersensitivity.