The dental vaccine

[cali1]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey people. I just wanted to know what the dentists and future dentists think about the new dental vaccine that is in trial. I think it is a great achievement that will help people a lot. But I can't help think in the back of my mind, "How is this going to affect dentistry, financially?" I mean, does it mean there will be less work for dentists, and less demand.
I'm sure that won't be the case. I mean, look at flourination. It decreased tooth decay by a lot, but dentists are still in business. And also, this vaccine doesn't eliminate all cavities, it just decreases incidences of them. But I just wanted to get some input from other people. What do you all think?

 

[dentalvibe8881]

I think it's a great achievement and I will certainly inoculate myself with it when it comes out. Regarding how it will affect dentistry, I don't think it will a severely impact dentistry. The one thing that no vaccine can cure is poor hygiene due to laziness. How many of us can say we floss everyday, or that we stopped consuming sweets on a regular basis or that we spend a full 2 minutes brusing our teach each time?

Also, some people are genetically more predisposed to oral pathologies than others. No vaccine can cure that. Finally, you can't fail to account for the greater use of cosmetic dentistry over the years. In the past, cosmetic dentistry was limited to people in the television and film industry, or other public figures who were willing to shell out big bucks to have it done. Now, cosmetic dentistry is becoming more accepted and affordable. So many more people are getting cosmetic dentistry done.

To be honest with you, I think anyone's fear of not having enough patients in the future is vastly overrated and unfound. I think all of us will have more than enough patients to deal with. I'm not worried. I would be more worried as a primary care or non-surgically related physician. Managed care is more of a threat than any vaccine. I can see many physicians spending an 5 years or so to pay off their loans.

 

[quantumhead]

There is a risk with any vaccine of having some sort of alergic response or side effect. For this reason the disease prevented must be worth the risk. Sorry, caries do not cut it. Even if it is made it will not be used. In addition, how do you vaccinate against all of the bacteria in the mouth that are responsible for some part of plaque formation and caries. There are too many. Even if you knock out the bigguns (S. mutans and Lactobacillus) then as Jeff Goldblume said in Jurassic Park, "Nature will find a way." Another bug will adapt and make things worse!

All that aside....how about all of the amalgam and old composite that has marginal breakdown. How about trauma. How about Cosmetic cases and Dentures. I think we have ALOT of work out there even if a Vaccine becomes avaliable.

Oh, also.....we know how to prevent caries better than any vaccine.....it's called brush and floss......unless then is a vaccine for laziness and stupidity we will be in business for a long time.

 

[Supernumerary]

now from what I understand, this isn't really a vaccine at all. It's treating the mouth with non-acid producing bacteria that outcompete the normal bacteria. Sounds a little spooky to me. 🙂

But I still think it would be great if it could be safe and effective.

 

[Dr.Nole]

If you are speaking of the vaccine being developed at UF by Dr. Hillman, here's the scoop...He is having a very difficult time getting FDA approval because the FDA does not want to see live bacteria introduced into humans. Many professors at UF, where I just graduated, say it will never get wings. Imagine what endodontists would do if this happened. Anyway, don't worry, it won't happen, and if it did, the profession would move more toward esthetics, as it has anyway. I've been told of the fear when they introduced fluoride into the water. Many dental schools closed and we now have a shortage of dentists.

 

[Jone]

FYI, there's also a "vaccine" developed at Harvard which is in clincals, as well as a vaccine developed by scientists in England.

Also, although it is true that brushing and flossing on a DAILY basis is our current vaccine, i think you overlook the fact that these new vaccines being developed only have to be applied once every 6 months or so, or even less. In fact, the one at Harvard needs to be applied once when the baby teeth come out, and again when the permanent teeth are out. There are plenty of people who are too lazy to brush daily, but that doesn't mean they are so lazy they won't gargle some mouthwash or take some nosedrops twice a year to innoculate them from cavities. I guess gum disease and other problems would still arise though, and I wouldn't want to smell the dragon's breath of someone who doesn't brush 😉

 

[DrJeff]

All those reasons about why the caries vaccine likely won't go mainstream are quite good, however your also overlooking the most obvious reason, who will pay for it??? As I've posetd before, I would highly doubt that many insurance companies would openly embrace the concept of paying for this also (remember even today there are still insurance companies that only pay for 1 prophy/exam/flouride tx (if age appropriate) per year and will only pay for 2, not 4 bitewings😱 ). Now if you ask them to pay for multiple vaccinations per year, they won't, because as the folks in accounting of the insurance company look at it, is it cheaper to pay for all the vaccinations needed for our clients, or pay the filling fees for the ones that will need restorative work?? Even if you say , well the science is behind it, so they'll likely pay for it, remember we have about 40 solid years of research about implants and most insurance companies have little if any implant coverage.

Ultimately, the success and/or failure of the caries vaccine will likely be determined not by the FDA, but by the folks at the insurance companies who will and or will not decide to pay for the widespread coverage of this. If given the option to self pay for it, sure, some parents would for their kids, some would be scared to based on the whole "vaccines cause random syndromes" school of thought, even those that do it would have tough compliance issues since over half of folks out there don't finish their prescriptions.

Caries will likely be around for a long time to come. The best ammunintion for this I read recently has to do with the soft drink industry. Listen to this, on average about 750 million dollars worth of soft drinks are sold in the U.S. PER DAY!!!, if you look at the soda aisles at the grocery stores, you can guess that atleast 2/3rds the soda isn't diet(remember supermarkets don't like to give shelf space to things that don't sell), and in the last 10 years the soft drink industry has on average increased not only yhte average size of the containers(just try and find a 16oz bottle now instead of a 20oz bottle), but also the quantity of sugar in the soda by almost 25%😱 😀

Folks, we're going to be in business for a long time to come. And, oh yes, I forgot the largest reason why caries will be around, out patients don't listen!! We've been telling them for years to brush/floss/watch their sugar intake, but still they don't!!

 

[groundhog]

Dr Jeff makes a good point about soft drinks. My hygientist tells me that I should suck my diet Pepsi through a straw because the acid in the soda eats away at the enamel on my teeth. This is especially important for older folks like me who have recessed gums and thus more exposure of teeth below the crown. Good advice, but I'm finding that converting to sucking from gulping is a tough habit to break.

 

[s.mutans]

Vaccination is not the magic bullet! Water Fluoridation, oral hygiene, toothpaste, sealants, and education can all make a difference. I don't think any one factor can significantly affect our current dental disease status. But, I am a proponent of vaccination.

When talking about caries vaccination , we are targeting children. There are those parents who do not brush their children's teeth. They don't have the time/knowledge to brush their teeth because of socio-economic or cultural standards/values. This population are the ones who would benefit from vaccination. Johnny (who has affluent parents who spend time with him brushing his teeth/flossing, and goes to the dentist every 6 months) will not benefit from vaccination. It is Jorge (who has parents working in the fields from 4 am to 6 pm and comes home to cook and take care of other siblings) that will benefit from vaccination. Don't worry about patient pool!

Cost? I don't think insurance will ever pay for vaccination. Even today, they won't cover sealants for primary teeth. If primary teeth molars were sealed that would make a great difference in dental disease for children. Most caries is found on O surfaces of the molars. Money will have to come from Grants, and Federal/ State Public Health Funds. And we all know today that there is a budget crisis.

Support Vaccination because it will benefit all of us in the end. YOur taxes currently pay for low-income population dental expenses via Medicaid programs of each state. Cost effectiveness of a vaccine would be astoundingly accpetable! A worse case scenario for a child who has early childhood caries would cost $2000-$3000. I hope the cost of a caries vaccine per person would be much less. Keep a heads up on vaccination! Sign me up for a trial!

 

[Jone]

In regards to insurance covering vaccination,
one of the vaccine developers (don't remember
which one) hopes to sell his product in the form
of a mouthwash, off of store shelves -- an
expensive mouthwash, I guess...