The Oral Care Model Is Broken: The Complete Guide to Modern Oral Care Products

Dental disease remains the most prevalent disease on the planet and the most common chronic disease in children, despite decades of patient education and an ever-growing number of oral care products. That reality forces an important question. Is the current oral care model actually working?

Most clinicians were never formally taught how to evaluate oral care products, yet they are expected to make recommendations every day. This lecture challenges long-standing assumptions in oral care, including the industry’s reliance on single-ingredient thinking such as fluoride versus non-fluoride, the tendency to treat the mouth as a surface to disinfect, and the disconnect between product recommendations and how the oral environment truly functions.

Attendees will be introduced to a modern, science-based understanding of oral care that views the mouth as a dynamic biological system influenced by pH, saliva, the oral microbiome, age, stage of development, and patient-specific risk factors.

The session provides a clear and practical framework for evaluating and recommending oral care products based on age, stage of development, and individual risk. Attendees will gain the confidence to answer the questions patients ask every day and move beyond outdated, one-size-fits-all recommendations. The lecture also highlights why this shift matters, not only for improving oral health outcomes, but for supporting systemic health and overall wellness.