Professional teeth cleaning without benefit?

Studies do not prove a clear medical benefit of professional teeth cleaning

10/15/2012

Cash patients must pay for the professional teeth cleaning themselves, because this is not listed in the catalog of benefits of the statutory health insurance. Health experts see the medical benefits of professional teeth cleaning as unproven. Therefore, the "Hedgehog Monitor" initiative described the actual benefit as "unclear", as no study so far could provide a meaningful assessment of whether the dental health of patients is actually positively affected.

The costs for a professional dental cleaning for legally insured persons amount to between 60 and 120 euros. Dentists recommend performing the so-called hedgehog performance at least every 6 to 12 months. The health insurances usually only cover the costs of scaling and routine dental examinations.

The term "professional teeth cleaning (PZR)" combines numerous measures that allegedly protect against decay and periodontal disease and keep the teeth healthy longer. It is not uncommon for patients to be advised during an examination or treatment, to clean their teeth and interdental spaces, to free them from deposits and to subsequently fluoridate them.

Professional instructions for cleaning the teeth are enough
Although this form of preventive care is very widespread and is even declared "indispensable" by many dentists, the real benefit so far has hardly been scientifically studied. "We found only one study that could give us reasonably reliable information on what the measures ultimately bring for dental health," said the Medical Service of the Federal Association of Health Insurance e.V. (MDS). However, this research has shown that the sole annual guidance on effective dental care appears to be sufficient to better care for the teeth and reduce the risk of gingivitis. However, a real effect of PZR was not investigated in detail and was therefore not conclusively evaluated. Subjects whose teeth were additionally cleaned with a PZR showed no better dental health, according to the MDS.

Whether the teeth remain longer and thus the PZR is "indispensable" is therefore not proven in the opinion of the MDS. But because no lasting damage can be expected from the additional treatment, "we evaluate the professional teeth cleaning as unclear." On the website "www.igel-monitor.de" the initiative evaluates the benefits of services that need to be paid extra by patients , To do this, doctors and scientists review current studies and then evaluate them. One visible benefit remains: After all, the teeth are lighter after a treatment than before. (Sb)

Read about:
Dentists: rip off teeth cleaning?
Tongue covering the most common cause of bad breath
Dentist pulled teeth without present indicators?