Leading Dental Expert Claims Mouthwash and Expensive Brushes are a Waste of Time
A leading dental expert has urged the public not to waste their money on expensive toothbrushes or mouthwash. Paul Batchelor, a senior lecturer at the public health department at University College London, said that brushing the teeth with fluoride toothpaste was the best way to protect against dental decay and gum disease.
Writing in the British Dental Journal, Mr Batchelor also claimed that the risk of gum disease had been exaggerated in a bid to increase sales of mouthwash and other oral hygiene products and suggested that expensive scale and polish treatments would have little impact if patients failed to brush their teeth regularly at home.
Mr Batchelor said that there is a common misconception that if you don’t brush your teeth, they will immediately fall out, but this is not the case and patients should be aware that a good oral hygiene routine and frequent check-ups should be sufficient to prevent oral disease. He suggested that there was a risk of “over-egging the pudding”, which was resulting in people feeling that they have to spend more on products like mouthwash and expensive toothbrushes featuring the latest gadgets.
Mr Batchelor also suggested that dentists should be focusing on dental decay, rather than gum disease, as it is a much more prevalent issue.
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