Surprisingly little evidence for usual wisdom about teeth

In 2015, Evidence-Based Dentistry summarized a Cochrane Review of seven randomized controlled trials looking at how interdental brushing in addition to tooth brushing compared with toothbrushing alone or toothbrushing with flossing. In 2013, Bisakha Sen, Nir Menachemi and colleagues used data from the Alabama Children’s Health Insurance Program to follow more than 36,000 children to see how preventive dental visits affected dental care and spending over time. Since sealants could be applied without an actual visit to the dentist, that brings into question whether a more cost-effective means of getting sealant on children’s teeth might be possible — using a lower-cost dental hygienist, perhaps.

Source: www.nytimes.com