Dentistry 2027

The modern toothpaste aisle presents patients and dental professionals with an overwhelming range of products and claims, including fluoride, hydroxyapatite, desensitizing agents, whitening technologies, antimicrobial ingredients, abrasives, and products marketed as “natural.” Selecting an appropriate oral care product is therefore more complex than choosing a preferred brand or responding to consumer marketing. Dental professionals have an opportunity to translate emerging evidence into individualized recommendations based on a patient’s caries risk, periodontal status, dentinal hypersensitivity, erosion or abrasion risk, xerostomia, dietary habits, oral hygiene behaviors, and personal preferences. This presentation, Beyond the Toothpaste Aisle, provides an evidence-informed framework for evaluating oral care products and communicating recommendations with patients. The session examines commonly encountered toothpaste ingredients and product categories, considers the strength and limitations of available evidence, and addresses how formulation characteristics such as active ingredients, abrasivity, surfactants, flavoring agents, and remineralizing technologies may influence clinical decision-making. Particular attention is given to distinguishing ingredient science from marketing language and to avoiding one-size-fits-all recommendations. The presentation also emphasizes shared decision-making and patient education. Rather than promoting a specific product or brand, clinicians will learn how to ask clinically relevant questions, identify patient-specific priorities, evaluate product claims, and explain recommendations in language patients can understand. By moving beyond the toothpaste aisle and toward individualized, evidence-informed product selection, dental professionals can strengthen preventive care, improve patient engagement, and support more meaningful oral health outcomes. Learning Objectives 1. Describe key categories of ingredients commonly found in contemporary toothpaste and oral care products. 2. Evaluate oral care product claims using an evidence-informed clinical framework. 3. Identify patient factors that should influence individualized toothpaste and oral care recommendations. 4. Differentiate marketing language from clinically meaningful information when discussing oral care products. 5. Apply shared decision-making principles to patient education and home-care recommendations. Keywords toothpaste, oral care products, dental hygiene, preventive dentistry, patient education, evidence-informed dentistry, caries prevention, dentinal hypersensitivity, remineralization Conference Alignment Dental Education and Research; Preventive Dentistry, Public Health and Oral Epidemiology; Cariology and Tooth Preservation; Minimally Invasive and Conservative Dentistry

Mrs. Lacy Walker is a professional based in Springfield, USA, associated with Shared Hygiene, LLC. She represents an organization focused on the hygiene sector and brings her professional perspective to the broader dental and oral healthcare community. Her participation in Dentistry 2027 provides an opportunity to connect with industry professionals, explore emerging developments, and contribute to meaningful discussions within the field.