Faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry use motivational interviewing to create better dental habits and debunk popular dental trends.
In dentistry, many new approaches such as motivational interviewing and dental hygiene coaching have been implemented as tools to better serve patients. Current trends like teeth whitening, dental gems, and oil pulling may not provide the long-term benefits people are looking for.
Michelle Arnett, assistant professor at the University’s School of Dentistry, is researching the benefits of motivational interviewing in oral health care settings.
Motivational interviewing is a patented, focused, collaborative counseling approach, Arnett said. The conversation between dental hygienists and patients discusses routine brushing and flossing, but also includes how mental health and lifestyle behaviors contribute to dental hygiene.
Arnett conducted a clinical trial comparing brief motivational interviewing with traditional oral care instructions, which was presented in a special issue of the Journal of Dental Hygiene celebrating 100 years of dentistry.
Mental health was addressed 48 times more using motivational interviewing than traditional oral hygiene guidelines, which addressed mental health 26 times during the one-year clinical trial.
“The hygienist can stress and advocate brushing and flossing all day, but if there are mental health issues, depression or an underlying condition, you really need to talk about it,” Arnett said.
Megan O’Connell, a dental hygiene trainer at the Dental Consulting Company and a graduate of the University, goes to dental offices to observe the hygienists who work there. Based on their approach to patient care, O’Connell guides hygienists in services that make their patients healthier.
“It’s kind of your responsibility as a dental health professional to keep up to date with current techniques, technologies, and sometimes after practicing for 20-25 years, you’re just getting into that process. I go to work see patients and then I’m done,” O’Connell said.
Dental hygiene guidance is important because it allows training to specifically cater to a practice’s patient demographics, O’Connell added. Offices that have lower socioeconomic status patients require a different level of care than western suburbs with better access to health care.
Hooi Pin Chew, an associate professor at the University’s School of Dentistry, said she wanted a career in medicine and found she preferred dentistry because it was about quality of life rather than death.
“We see improved quality of life through patients with dentures, with better aesthetics, better smiles, better function and better eating ability,” Chew said. “These results make a significant contribution to their overall health and self-confidence.”
Oil pulling
Oil pulling involves swirling a coconut, sesame or sunflower oil product and spitting it out, Arnett said. The goal is to break down the bacteria in your mouth so it becomes more alkaline and less acidic, preventing enamel erosion.
There’s no evidence that oil pulling has benefits, but there’s also no evidence that it’s harmful, Arnett added.
“A lot of my research is in patient behaviors and motivational interviewing, and it’s hard for someone to pick up a toothbrush and brush for 30 seconds,” Arnett said. “To get someone to put an oily substance in their mouth to swish for up to 30 minutes a day, compliance is probably going to be very low.”
It’s hard to determine whether oil pulling contributes to good dental health or if it’s just good genetics, added O’Connell of the Dental Consulting Company.
“I’ve personally had patients who have had great success from pulling, but I can’t relate that to the oil itself,” O’Connell said.
Precious stones of the teeth
If the tooth around the tooth ornament is kept clean and the tooth does not have a cavity, there should be no detrimental effects, Chew said.
The person who puts gemstones on the teeth is usually not a dental professional, it is someone without experience in dental application, O’Connell said. The glue with which the gems are attached can spread and bond the teeth making flossing difficult and can get under the gums and cause a dental infection.
If the diamond is not removed properly, it can damage the health and appearance of a tooth, O’Connell said.
“When it comes to dental trends, dental gems worry me the most in terms of the long-term damage that can be caused,” O’Connell said.
Bleaching
Whitening has been extensively researched, and people shouldn’t use whitening products that don’t contain FDA-approved materials, Chew said.
Whitening kits can cause sensitivity in people when they stop using the product, Arnett said. If someone uses over-the-counter whitening strips and gets it stuck to their gum tissue, it could cause a chemical burn.
Before using a whitening product, it’s important for people to know if they have cavities and gum disease, Arnett said.
The best option is to go to the dentist and get a professionally made whitening tray that works for the person’s tooth structure, O’Connell said.
“We see a lot of this misinformation during the first two years of COVID-19,” Chew said. “I think communication about medical and dental science affects the understanding and maintenance of health and wellness, and there should be a more systematic or coordinated way to effectively communicate evidence-based research.”
