Clinical Preventive Services -
Counseling -

Counseling patients to visit a dental care provider on a regular basis, floss daily, brush their teeth daily with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, and appropriately use fluoride for caries prevention and chemotherapeutic mouth rinses for plaque prevention is recommended based on evidence for risk reduction from these interventions. Educating parents to curb the practice of putting infants and children to bed with a bottle is also recommended based on limited evidence of risk reduction. The effectiveness of clinician counseling to change any of these behaviors has not been adequately evaluated. Appropriate dietary fluoride supplements are recommended for children living in communities with inadequate water fluoridation. While examining the oral cavity, clinicians should be alert for obvious signs of oral disease (see Clinical Intervention). Also see Screening for Oral Cancer, and Counseling to Promote a Healthy Diet.

• To refer to the Clinical Interventions or view the complete entry for this topic, see the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Second Edition (1996).