Surprisingly Little Evidence for the Accepted Wisdom About Teeth

Some people brush their teeth religiously but still have cavities. Others have very few cavities, yet do the bare minimum. How is this possible? Turns out, there’s little true science behind our daily dental habits.

Key takeaways:

• Evidence supporting daily flossing has been scanty even though flossing is still important for overall oral health.
• There’s little information supporting routine dental x-rays that are performed annually.
• Preventive dental visits are linked to better oral health and fewer restorative dental care visits.
• It is absolutely important for people to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste to prevent plaque formation, cavities and gingivitis.

In fact, fluoride is so important that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that in areas where the water supply is deficient, providers prescribe oral fluoride supplementation to children.

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