Oral health has far-reaching consequences for individuals. Not only is it essential for physical wellbeing – with its impact extending well beyond the mouth – but it also contributes to mental health. It’s crucial that patients understand these associations in order to play their role in improving and maintaining their oral hygiene throughout their lifetimes. For professional teams, it is important to educate patients, and to help them overcome the challenges with bespoke advice and recommended products.
Contributing factors
There are many factors that can impact a patient’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).
One study found that dental anxiety or fear can have a greater impact on OHRQoL than conditions such as periodontitis and even oral cancer. While this may be surprising to many people, the study explained the phenomenon with the ‘disability paradox’. This is the concept that those with serious illness tend to report a high quality of life, because their life-altering or even life-threatening experience has changed their perspective.[i]
The same study found that periodontal problems could hinder a patient’s OHRQoL due to impaired aesthetics, bad breath, or reduced interaction with others, although this was a relatively small issue for this group. There is also strong evidence that tooth loss negatively impacts quality of life, with the location and distribution of missing teeth contributing to the severity of the impairment.[ii]
The real impact of sensitivity
Sensitivity is another major cause of lowered OHRQoL among patients. It is estimated that dentine hypersensitivity affects more than 11% of the population, though different studies and methodologies postulate a broad range of potential values from 5-62%.[iii] The literature reports this sensitivity to have a considerable impact on sufferers’ quality of life, with older patients reporting significantly more problems. In particular, patients report disturbed eating, drinking, tooth brushing, and sometimes even breathing.[iv]
Several factors make it difficult to accurately determine prevalence or precise impact. For a start, data collection is often subjective, with many studies relying on self-reported symptoms in the absence of clinical evidence. There is evidence that the amount of pain or discomfort experienced is influenced by the individual’s emotional status, coping mechanisms, and beliefs about health and illness, all of which affect if and how they report oral sensitivity.[v]
Managing symptoms
The dental team is ideally placed to help patients enhance their OHRQoL. In many cases, this involves educating, encouraging, and supporting patients to improve their oral hygiene. Any treatment plan should consider minimally invasive options first, only moving towards surgical intervention when all other solutions have failed to reduce symptoms.
The least invasive approach for tackling sensitivity is to prevent it from developing in the first place – regular dental visits are key and patients should be encouraged to appreciate the value of frequent screening and prevention protocols. A strong dentist-patient relationship needs to be built over time to allow for truly open and honest conversations about their current habits and potential risk factors for sensitivity. This centres on effective communication, which increases patient trust in their practitioner and helps to increase their engagement with their oral health.[vi]
The at-home regime must also feature in these discussions with patients. Each routine should be tailored to the individual and designed to minimise the amount of acid-producing bacteria in the mouth throughout the day so as to reduce the risk of damage to the tooth surfaces. BioMin® F is particularly beneficial for managing sensitivity. Its uniquely responsive, controlled-release mineral technology forms a strong fluorapatite layer over the tooth and within exposed tubules, providing advanced protection against acid and supporting long-term enamel health. Beyond this, BioMin® F delivers evidence-based results that help patients feel confident in their oral health, reducing discomfort and providing reassurance in everyday activities — supporting both dental wellbeing and overall quality of life.
Achieving long-term outcomes
Oral health has a far-reaching impact on patients’ lives, affecting both their wellbeing and quality of life. By recognising and proactively addressing the factors that can influence oral health, dental professionals can help patients significantly reduce the impact of conditions like sensitivity. All it takes is good communication, bespoke advice, and trusted products.
The science is clear. The solution is simple.
www.biomin.co.uk
Author: Alec Hilton | CEO | BioMin Technologies
2026 Supply Update
We are currently experiencing an ongoing supply disruption for BioMin® F, BioMin® C, and BioMin® F for Kids across many of our usual stockists. This pause ensures we continue to meet the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance for all our products.
We understand that this may be inconvenient, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and support during this period. We are working hard behind the scenes to resolve the situation and will share updates on our website as soon as we have a clearer timeline.
Thank you for continuing to trust BioMin® for your oral health needs.
[i] Su N, Wijk A, Visscher CM. Psychosocial oral health-related quality of life impact: A systematic review. J Oral Rehabil. 2021; 48: 282–292. https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.13064
[ii] Gerritsen, A.E., Allen, P.F., Witter, D.J. et al. Tooth loss and oral health-related quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Qual Life Outcomes 8, 126 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-8-126
[iii] Favaro Zeola L, Soares PV, Cunha-Cruz J. Prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent. 2019 Feb;81:1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2018.12.015. Epub 2019 Jan 11. PMID: 30639724.
[iv] Heschl A, Haas M, Haas J, Payer M, Wegscheider W, Polansky R. Maxillary rehabilitation of periodontally compromised patients with extensive one-piece fixed prostheses supported by natural teeth: a retrospective longitudinal study. Clin Oral Investig. 2013 Jan;17(1):45-53. doi: 10.1007/s00784-012-0681-9. PMID: 22290063; PMCID: PMC3585945.
[v] Soares ARS, Barbosa RS, Campos J, Chalub L, Moreira A, Ferreira R. (2023). Association between Dentin Hypersensitivity and Health/Oral Health-related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Pesquisa Brasileira em Odontopediatria e Clínica Integrada. 23. 10.1590/pboci.2023.085.
[vi] Jiang S, Wu Z, Zhang X, Ji Y, Xu J, Liu P, Liu Y, Zheng J, Zhao L, Chen J. How does patient-centered communication influence patient trust?: The roles of patient participation and patient preference. Patient Educ Couns. 2024 May;122:108161. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108161. Epub 2024 Jan 25. PMID: 38308973.
