Listerine

A new consensus: insights from KENVUE’s inaugural Dental Schools Advisory Board meeting

At the end of January 2024, a select group was brought together on the South Bank in London by KENVUE for the inaugural Dental Schools Advisory Board meeting.

The overarching aim was to discuss the current evidence base to support oral health recommendations and to find out how KENVUE can best support dental schools and the future of dentistry, for the most beneficial patient outcomes.

In attendance were:

  • Sarah Bain, Bristol Dental School
  • Sarah Barber, University of Portsmouth Dental Academy
  • Emma Bingham, University of Sheffield School of Clinical Dentistry
  • Bal Chana, Queen Mary Institute of Dentistry
  • Zoe Coyle, Edinburgh Dental Institute, University of Edinburgh
  • Sarah Duerden, University of Central Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry
  • Sarah Murray, Queen Mary Institute of Dentistry
  • Adetunji Otemade, King’s College London, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences
  • Benjamin Tighe, Eastman Dental Hospital.

 

The event was chaired by Professor Iain Chapple, who, alongside Professor Chris Deery, steered discussions to ensure participants understood that the most valuable aspect of the event was to be able to have an open and frank debate, after the evidence base for challenging traditional paradigms in relation to periodontal diseases and caries was presented by the pair.

Commenting on the day, Dr Rob Lee, BChD, BSc (Hons), who was appointed Dental Scientific Liaison Team Lead for LISTERINE® Professional in 2023, said: ‘This is the first time KENVUE has held an advisory board dedicated to dental schools. It was a privilege to learn about the needs and expectations of the gathered group, discuss the latest evidence base and how we might be able to support them in the future. We are looking forward to strengthening relationships and ongoing discussions over the ensuing months and years.’

At the end of the day, the group aligned on the following general consensus*, which can now be used to inform future collaborative efforts and share among the dental community.

‘Biofilm driven oral diseases represent a major burden to human health and the economy.

‘Patient education that promotes early regular biofilm disruption and reduction is a key primary prevention strategy for gingivitis and dental caries, consistent with minimally interventive operative approaches. 

‘Specific thresholds from national guidelines should be personalised to individual patients using clinical judgment underpinned by the evidence base. S3 level clinical guidelines form the basis for best practice.

 ‘Published guidance supports the message ‘spit don’t rinse with water’. However, evidence clearly highlights benefit from the adjunctive use of ≥226ppm fluoride containing mouthrinses (with proven antimicrobial effects) post brushing unless specifically contraindicated (e.g. children under 8).’

For further information, please visit https://academy-plus.co.uk/listerine

*General consensus achieved with eight out of nine delegates in complete alignment.

References

  • Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention. Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, and NHS Improvement 2021
  • Duckworth RM et al. Effects of flossing and rinsing with a fluoridated mouthwash after brushing with a fluoridated toothpaste on salivary fluoride clearance. Caries Research 2009; 43(5): 387-390

Last chance to see The Dental Hygienist Roadshow

It’s National Smile Month! So what better time to sign up to The Dental Hygienist Roadshow by Johnson & Johnson Ltd.? There are only a few dates left in the calendar so here we find out what to expect from the remaining events.

Professor Iain Chapple, Benjamin Tighe and Laura Bailey have been touring the UK, bringing The Dental Hygienist Roadshow to dental events throughout the year.

Between them, they have covered the current impact periodontitis is having on the UK population, why managing gingivitis using plaque control measures is key to successful preventive care, and the role the dental hygienist and dental therapist can play in instigating behaviour change.

‘The reception we’ve had from the roadshow so far is that we’ve reinvigorated the passion for patient health, systemic health for behaviour change,’ Laura Bailey said.

‘We’re starting to get excited about oral hygiene again and how we motivate our patients, which is just really important.’

If you’ve missed the events so far, don’t worry, there are a couple more dates left in the diary, including:

  • 1 July – Bristol South West Dentistry Show
  • 7 October – London Dentistry Show

WTF: what is the future?

During the roadshow, the three lecturers take delegates through the very latest in periodontal research.

Professor Iain Chapple looks at the role of personalising dental medicine and the size of the challenge the dental profession faces.

Benjamin Tighe then discusses the role of chemotherapeutics in biofilm prevention, reviewing the latest mouthrinse evidence. He also explains how important it is for dental hygienists and dental therapists to critique research and how to implement these findings into everyday practice.

Finally, Laura Bailey explains how to inspire change in each patient’s behaviour. She unpicks the human brain and introduces the four personality types and how to adapt your approach to each one.

‘When I think about myself at the Hygienist Advisory Panel, I was adamant my mind wasn’t going to be changed on mouthwash,’ Benjamin Tighe said.

‘Professor Chapple was fundamental in shifting in my own thinking. He presented the evidence in a way I could understand.

‘It was open, free, I could ask questions. It helped me understand it a lot better. If you understand it, you’re more likely to recommend it.

‘That’s what this roadshow is all about, it’s an open forum. It’s there not just to get ideas from the lecturers but also from the delegates.

‘We want to know what you think. If there’s anything we can do to facilitate change in practice, then that’s what we’re here for.’

Register for the Q&A Forum

But the event doesn’t stop with the lectures. There is also the chance to discuss current challenges in practice in a more private setting with the speakers.

Johnson & Johnson Ltd., the maker of LISTERINE®, is hosting a Q&A Forum with up to 10 delegates at each event.

‘Quite often, people are a little shy coming up, particularly in an open environment, and asking questions. They wait until the end of the presentations,’ Professor Iain Chapple explains.

‘We’ve had some great conversations and great questions, not just from dental hygienists and dental therapists but dentists and dental nurses as well.

‘What this lunch has offered is a really relaxed and informal environment for people just to exchange views, talk about challenges. Question and challenge what we’ve been saying, which is really important.

‘That’s really enriched the main presentation.

‘For me, what’s really important from these roundtable discussions is I learn as much as the delegates do. They’re giving information on how they do things in practice.

‘It’s certainly a two-way learning process.’

To register your interest in attending the breakout Q&A Forum with the speakers, simply visit www.listerineprofessional.co.uk/roadshow2023.

An update on the efficacy of mouthwash use

On the morning of 10th October, Johnson & Johnson Ltd., the makers of Listerine, hosted a press briefing at Ogilvy & Mather Sea Containers in London to provide an update on the efficacy of mouthwash use. The event was chaired by Professor Iain Chapple, Professor of Periodontology and Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, Birmingham UK, who explored why it is time to take gingivitis seriously, focusing on the human, economic and societal cost of periodontal disease.

Adding to Prof. Chapple’s insight were presentations from:

  • Professor Elena Figuero, Full-Professor in Periodontology at the University Complutense of Madrid (Spain), who joined via video link to discuss the efficacy of adjunctive therapies in reducing plaque by means of a systematic review of randomised clinical trials,1,2 who said: ‘The overall idea that should be kept in mind is that higher biofilm reductions might be achieved when antiseptics are used as an adjunct to self-performed mechanical biofilm control procedures (toothbrushing or interdental devices) compared to these same mechanical procedures alone.’
  • Benjamin Tighe, a dental therapist in private practice and a Tutor Dental Therapist at The Eastman Dental Hospital, who spoke about his experience of recommending mouthwash for plaque management purposes in practice.
  • Soha Dattani, a periodontist and Head of Professional at Johnson & Johnson, who shared the latest data from new Johnson & Johnson trials, which were peer reviewed and published in the American ‘Journal of Dental Hygiene’ earlier this year.3,4

Soha Dattani, Ben Tighe and Iain Chapple

This invaluable meeting served as the culmination of 12 months of activity for Johnson and Johnson Ltd., which involved both the National Advisory Panel and Hygienist Advisory Panel gatherings and their subsequent consensuses statements on mouthwash use, as well as the dissemination of new data revealing how to tackle interproximal plaque with essential oils-based LISTERINE.3,4

Bringing all of these threads together for a full overview, the results from the peer reviewed studies were shared. The published results report that for patients who brush and floss, adding LISTERINE reduces interproximal plaque by 28.4% versus brushing and flossing alone.*4 And, for those who don’t floss, adjunctive use of LISTERINE reduced interproximal plaque above the gumline by 4.6x versus floss.**3

For further information, visit listerineprofessional.co.uk

* Sustained plaque reduction above the gumline with continual twice daily use for 12
weeks after a dental cleaning. Flossing underwent once daily supervision on weekdays.
Use LISTERINE® as part of a 3-step routine.
** Sustained plaque reduction above the gumline with continual twice daily use for 12
weeks after a dental cleaning. Flossing was performed by a dental hygienist.

References

  1. Figuero E et al. Efficacy of adjunctive anti-plaque chemical agents in managing
    gingivitis: A systematic review and network meta-analyses. J Clin Periodontol 2019; 46(7):
    723-739
  2. Figuero E et al. Efficacy of adjunctive therapies in patients with gingival inflammation: A
    systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Periodontol 2020; 47: 125-143
  3. Bosma ML et al. Efficacy of flossing and mouthrinsing regimens on plaque and gingivitis:
    a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Dental Hygiene 2022; 96(3): 8-20
  4. Milleman J et al. Comparative effectiveness of toothbrushing, flossing and mouthrinse
    regimens on plaque and gingivitis: a 12-week virtually supervised clinical trial. Journal of
    Dental Hygiene 2022; 96(3): 21-34

Oral Health Foundation and LISTERINE® release new professional’s guide to mouthwash

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’.1

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.

REFERENCES

1. ORAL HEALTH FOUNDATION and LISTERINE® (2020) ‘The Dental Professional’s Guide to Mouthwash Use’, online at https://www.dentalhealth.org/the-dental-professionals-guide-to-mouthwash-use. Accessed on November 2020.

 2. ORAL HEALTH FOUNDATION (2020) ‘National Smile Month 2020 Survey’, Total of 2002 partcipiants, UK, April 2020.