Dentists and dental organisations usually recommend professional tooth scaling every three months in addition to regular dental check-ups to maintain good oral health. However, after researching a number of current studies on the procedure, scientists have found that tooth scaling does not offer any proven medical benefits to patients.
The investigators of IGeL-Monitor, a website launched earlier this year to monitor individual health services (i.e. those paid for privately) within the German health system, evaluated current scientific studies of adults without periodontitis with regard to the medical benefits of tooth scaling.
They said that they found no significant evidence that professional tooth scaling affects oral health positively, as study participants who had undergone tooth scaling in addition to their daily dental care and regular check-ups did not have an improved oral health status. Moreover, possible damage caused by the procedure was only inadequately covered by the studies, they said.
With regard to the claims raised by IGeL-Monitor, the German Dental Association announced last week that a number of important studies have confirmed the benefits of tooth scaling. For instance, a study with almost 22,000 participants in Taiwan published in the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine found that tooth scaling was associated with a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular events.
According to the dental association, professional tooth scaling is essential for maintaining long-term dental health. It is an indispensable part of preventive dentistry, the association said.
In Germany, the costs for tooth scaling are only partly covered by statutory health insurance. Usually, patients are entitled to one annual scaling at the expense of the insurance company. All additional procedures have to be paid for by the patient.
The Medical Service of the Central Association of Health Insurance Funds, the advisory body on medical and health care issues of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, commissioned the investigation of the claims regarding the medical benefits of professional tooth scaling.
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