Quantifying the environmental impact potential from periodontal health to disease: findings from a life cycle assessment study

Objective

To quantify environmental impacts of periodontal health and diseases, ranging from at home preventive care to dental treatments.

Methods

A Life Cycle Assessment was conducted to quantify environmental impacts of daily at home oral care routines using either an electric or manual toothbrush, plus toothpaste and floss, and environmental impacts of clinical treatments for patients with gingival health and varying stages of diagnosed periodontal disease.

Results

As periodontal disease severity increases, so does the overall environmental impact due to more visits, treatments and energy used at clinic. For the average patient, the environmental impact (including carbon footprint) from in-clinic treatment is approximately 2-4x higher compared to at-home preventive care routines with either manual or electric toothbrush, and 10x higher for patients with more severe forms of periodontal disease. At home, there is no statistical difference between using a manual and electric toothbrush across all impact categories.

Conclusions

The environmental implications from periodontal health/disease are best assessed by analysis that includes at-home routines and in-clinic disease management; the latter is the dominant emission source. Effective at-home oral hygiene routines aid in preventing disease and are considered beneficial to mitigate the environmental impacts from periodontal disease treatment in dental clinics. Clinical Significance From a clinical perspective, the findings reinforce the importance of effective preventive oral hygiene in limiting disease progression and reducing the need for resource intensive periodontal treatment. By integrating environmental and clinical considerations, this study highlights that maintaining periodontal health delivers dual benefits for both patient outcomes and sustainable dental care delivery