DH 220 Fall 2006

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November 26, 2006

Omni Lunch and Learn - A Reflection

As dental hygienists, we have a professional obligation to maintain a commitment to life-long learning. At the University of Michigan, SADHA sponsors monthly Lunch and Learns where dental hygiene students can interact with sales representatives from various companies affiliated with the dental products we will be using everyday in practice. It is important as professionals to keep abreast of the current products on the market to best serve our patients' dental hygiene needs. This month Omnii Oral Pharmaceuticals sponsored a Lunch and Learn to acquaint us with some of their products, particularly xylitol products and fluoride varnishes.

I was eager to learn more about xylitol products as this is something we learned about in class as effective in caries prevention and because I consume this product everyday in my favorite chewing gum. Xylitol-containing mints and gum would be effective for patients with a high caries risk or xerostomia as it helps to lower bacteria levels in the mouth and promotes remineralizaton. However, to achieve the necessary amount of xylitol effective for caries prevention and reduction, one would have to chew twenty pieces of the store-bought gum containing xylitol! Omnii makes products containing 100% xylitol where one would be able to maintain an effective dosage by only chewing a few pieces of gum a day. Samples of the TheraGum and TheraMints manufactured by Omnii were passed out. The mint and fruity flavors tasted great and would definitely be something a patient would enjoy using. The only problem is the cost of these products. They are only available for sale by a dentist and pricing hikes prompted by packaging constraints can be a turn-off to patients, especially those patients on a fixed income. I spoke to the rep, Kevin Bourland, following his presentation on the effectiveness of store-bought gum versus the Omnii gum, and even he admitted that some xylitol was better than none. Therefore, if a patient cannot afford to purchase the professionally-sold xylitol products, I would still recommend the store-bought versions as having some benefits.

Fluoride varnish was something I had been introduced to while working in a practice as a dental assistant. My dentist was turned off from using varnishes due to the yellow hue the varnish leaves on the patient's teeth. Omnii now offers a new product called Vanish, a 5% NaF white varnish, which gives all of the benefits of using a varnish without leaving that yellow tinge. Varnishes are advantageous because it is a fluoride treatment that will remain on the patient's teeth long after he or she leaves the office, allowing the patients to receive fluoride for hours until he or she brushes. Vanish would be desirable because the patient can receive these benefits and still leave the appointment with a nice white smile. Mr. Bourland distributed samples, so we could all try Vanish. The taste is pleasant and it was easy to apply, however the feel of the product on my teeth as well as the noticeable white build-up was a turn-off. Following the presentation, I went home and brushed as soon as was possible. My reaction as a student in a dental health field makes me wonder how effective this treatment would be for the average patient. Mr. Bourland did suggest not applying the Vanish treatment to the upper anterior teeth to facilitate a higher rate of patient compliance, a tip that would be very helpful when I am a hygienist.

The Omnii presentation was very informational and the relaxed lunchtime setting allowed for an easy introduction to these beneficial products. I definitely appreciate SADHA and Omnii for sponsoring this event!

-Maria Alspaugh

Posted by malspaug at November 26, 2006 01:13 PM

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Posted by: cormierm at December 1, 2006 11:08 AM

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