Congress on Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT)

The GBT revolutionizes what Axelsson and Lindhe started more than 40 years ago and will set a new standard in dental maintenance and oral hygiene. International guest speakers from Universities, Dental Offices and the Swiss Dental Academy were invited to a two-day conference in Divonne Les-Bains. The summit provided a stage where dental professionals could discuss biofilm management, the main causes of biofilm and the clinically effective ways to remove it.

The Game Changer

“I believe that education and awareness is key to making game changers out of our colleagues.” (Jolene Pinder, Dental Hygienist)

EMS organised the GBT conference under the heading “How to manage biofilm and its effective removal?” The presented ‘Game Changer’ was developed in close cooperation with universities, dentists, dental hygienists and EMS specialists. Therefore, it is no surprise that Nina Von De Fenn, prophylaxis professional and trainer at the Swiss Dental Academy, is “proud to be a game changer”. Indeed, dental maintenance and oral hygiene has never been as important as it is today: The participants feel like pioneers who experience a high standard homogenous solution for every patient. And it seems that a new gold standard has been created in the field of prophylaxis, coming straight out of Switzerland. The GBT is safer, more comfortable and more efficient than conventional methods. Thus, it is definitely time to change the game!

Try it and you like it

“GBT meeting made me realize that AIR-FLOW^®can be used not only in periodontal maintenance but also for active treatment – periodontitis, peri-implantitis and peri-implant mucositis.” (Dr. Dong Xiao Xiao, Periodontist)

The GBT, which is a detailed clinical protocol, ensures a high standard in dental maintenance and facilitates complete removal of biofilm sub- and supra-gingivally. The GBT aims to bring a fast and comfortable treatment to any patient profile with the use of the high technology powder PLUS based on Erythritol, the AIR-FLOW^®and the PIEZON^®NO PAIN technologies. Be it children, sensitive patients, recall or pre-surgery prophylaxis, the GBT offers a complete solution. The GBT, this new, simple and predictable approach to professional dental maintenance, begins with the use of a disclosing agent. It guides the dental professional to see the biofilm normally not visible to the naked eye and to demonstrate biofilm presence to the patient. This procedure is followed by removal of biofilm and stains from the hard and soft tissues sub- and supra-gingivally by using AIR FLOW^®with the very fine Erythritol powder PLUS. After this procedure, calculus and concrements are easy to detect and can be removed using PIEZON^®NO PAIN and the PS instrument. Scaling is only needed if there are hard deposits. Therefore, GBT provides a minimal invasive therapy. Afterwards, the GBT is completed with a quality control and the recall management.

Nevertheless, the presentation of the detailed GBT protocol was only one of the highlights of the conference. The guest speakers like Prof. Magda Mensi, Dr. Klaus-Dieter Bastendorf, Eva Müller, Karen Davis and Brigitte Schöneich, board member of the European Dental Hygienist Federation, offered a course on pathogenic biofilm, the history of biofilm removal and the challenges of clinical cases. With a total of 18 speakers a variety of topics was treated, including hand piece technique and literature analysis. The attendants were professors, dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants, actively involved in dental prophylaxis either at the clinics or in dental universities. The aim of the congress on Guided Biofilm Therapy was essentially to build a common understanding of the need to introduce the approach towards prophylaxis – based on knowledge, experience and supported by clinical evidence. Every presenter shared his personal opinion on best practices including challenges which were differentiated and country specific.

GBT – no conflict of ethics and profitability

“I prefer to earn money with the health of my patients (GBT), than the diseases of my patients!" (Dr. Klaus Dieter Bastendorf, Dental Specialist in Prevention)

It has long time proven that oral biofilm causes caries, gingivitis, peri-mucositis, peri-implantitis and periodontitis – the main causes of tooth- and implant-loss. Helping patients to keep their natural teeth is one of the highest ethical values for a dentist and the GBT makes this possible. As the dentist is not only a medical scientist, but also an entrepreneur, the profitability of a treatment is an important aspect. With the GBT the dentist can delegate this service to a dental hygienist and therefore generate further revenue and profit. Additionally, the GBT opens the opportunity to run a successful recall operation in a dental cabinet. Emphasizing on patient motivation and individual oral hygiene education, the GBT strengthen the relation between the dental professional and his patient by increasing patient satisfaction and personal well-being. Following the GBT protocol, patients are not only enthusiastic for a dental prophylaxis but it also serves them as an incentive to keep their oral hygiene at the optimal level even at home. Thus, the GBT provides a sustainable and long-lasting improvement of health and attractiveness. As the GBT offers a maximal patient comfort, it subsequently increases the patient recall.

Oral health: Why annoy when you can enjoy

“With Guided Biofilm Therapy, no more patients complain, only smiles” (Prof. Magda Mensi, University of Brescia)

The GBT congress emphasized the importance of high-quality dental maintenance. The effective removal of biofilm is paramount to long-term oral health. Thus, it’s definitely time to provide the neglected fields of dentistry – dental maintenance and prevention – the reputation they deserve. Indeed, the awareness of dental care and oral hygiene has never been as high as it is today. And that is why the GBT protocol is so vital. Conventional dental prophylaxis with hand instruments, rubber cups and abrasive pastes – the so-called gold standard – is not up to date anymore but is still used by over 80% of dental professionals. These methods induce recession when used in a sulcus, create scratches on exposed dentine or cementum, remove natural enamel structure and obviously, this treatment is not comfortable for the patient at all. Jasmina Karisik, dentist, has only one answer to this: “Guided Biofilm Therapy – finally to replace the traditional way of thinking that endodontics is the savior.”

Perio for a better life

“GBT and its focus on general health aspects reducing massively the overall oral bacterial load – thus reducing health risks” (Kleathis Manolakis, Prosthodontist)

Compared to conventional methods, the GBT is more comfortable, safer and makes professional dental maintenance feel more like a wellness treatment instead of an unloved medical examination: The AIR-FLOW^®Powder PLUS has a grain size of only 14µm, therefore it feels very soft, even if applied sub-gingivally! The presentations convinced the attending dental professionals: “GBT meeting encouraged me to use PLUS powder for all my periodontal and implant maintenance patients”, states Jolene Pinder, Dental Hygienist. And with PIEZON^®NO PAIN – composed of PIEZON^®NO PAIN Module, Original PIEZON^®handpiece and Original SWISS INSTRUMENT^PMPS – the removal of calculus and concrements is comfortable and safe. And the long-term benefits are remarkable as well: By avoiding over-instrumentation you preserve the natural tooth structure, the implant surface and prevent root sensitivity. For the clinician, the approach of GBT reduces treatment time and hand fatigue with minimal use of ultrasonic. The safe and comfortable treatment is easy to adapt and decreases recolonization by biofilm due to antibacterial properties of Erythritol. Given the resulting advantages, it is not surprising that the prevailing mood at this congress was dominated by an atmosphere of striving, positive spirit and overall optimism, confidence and trust in the future. It’s time to shape the future of dental prophylaxis – it’s time to change the game adopting the GBT protocol in dental maintenance.

SDA – Swiss Dental Academy

“SDA in China encourages the trainers to share the “real” knowledge to help the clinicians and patients through evidence based dentistry.” (Dr. Dong Xiao Xiao, Periodontist)

 The GBT is based on the state of the art technologies AIR-FLOW^®and PIEZON^®. They are easy to handle and guarantee a high level of safety. Therefore, the GBT is easy to adapt for dental professionals. To learn more about the GBT and all the benefits it provides, we highly recommend the Swiss Dental Academy: Experienced dental hygienists present clinical evidence for the GBT, offer pragmatic tips for the daily business and in the hands-on part of the course, the participants have the opportunity to experience the superiority of AIR-FLOW^®and PIEZON^® one-by-one. One thing we can certainly take from SDA and the congress on Guided Biofilm Therapy is the GBT, or in other words:

‘Get a much Better and more sustainable Treatment’.

For further information
visit us on www.byebyebiofilm.comand https://int.sda-swissdentalacademy.com/