Dental News - Why home treatment kits cannot replace a medical professional

Dr. Carlo Fornaini

Tue. 19. February 2019

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The current progress in technology is making available ever newer solutions that allow for the treatment of a larger number of diseases. Moreover, the increase in access to information provides people with the possibility of informing themselves (although sometimes they are exposed to unreliable or fake news as well) about therapeutic solutions for their pathologies.

Self-medication—the treatment of common health problems with medicines especially designed to be used safely without professional supervision and labelled as effective (this is a particular problem in the field of alternative medicine)—is also increasingly influenced by the media, boosting the sales of such medical devices.

Recently in dentistry, bleaching agents, at-home laser devices, bite guards for temporomandibular joint disorders, and aligner treatments can be purchased online and sent directly to the patients’ homes. This trend has created new possibilities for treatment scenarios with catastrophic results. In any field of medicine, the treatment plan must follow a proper diagnosis. A diagnosis cannot be established without a doctor and the support of an accurate clinical examination, specific laboratory work and/or radiographic examination. The selection of a treatment plan by patients, who most likely have no medical knowledge, can be very risky and lead to iatrogenic complications.

Orthodontic aligner treatment, for example, is a good solution for patients: it is aesthetic, non-invasive and easy to wear, and may successfully correct a great number of malocclusions and dentoalveolar defects. In addition, it is based on 3-D technology, which is being used in several fields of medicine and dentistry with many promising perspectives. Nevertheless, only an honest and experienced clinician can explain and propose a correct treatment plan, as well contra-indicate in a specific clinical situation. Especially in light of technological advancements, it remains true that a functioning relationship between doctor and patient is the basis for any safe and successful medical treatment.

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