In this exclusive interview, specialist periodontist Dr Devan Raindi shares with readers why he introduced guided biofilm therapy to his hygiene team and the difference it has made practice-wide.
Why did you choose to bring guided biofilm therapy (GBT) into your practices?
The first practice I brought GBT into was quite a large practice in Birmingham, called Scott Arms Dental Practice. I’m the in-house periodontist and, as a practice with over 20 surgeries, you can imagine that there is a large team of dental hygienists/therapists.
When I started there, I wanted to standardise the care being provided to patients, as well as looking at ways to optimise the patient journey. Following implementation here, I advised on its implementation within the Ascent Dental Group of practices where I am based in Solihull, Birmingham, and this is now being rolled out across the group.
I had heard about GBT at various events I had attended, and I really liked the fact it was very much focused on patient comfort but still achieved great clinical outcomes. So, I arranged a meeting with my local rep, Arina Popa. She then explained everything in detail, and I decided to give it a go.
I was lucky that the practice I work at in London already had EMS machines, so I could try the equipment out there. After that, I was sold, and arranged for the technology and GBT to be brought into the west midlands practices too.
What was the training day like for you and your team?
It was a brilliant day and I really enjoyed it myself.
I attended with eight dental hygienists, and it was led by Claire Berry, one of the SDA (Swiss Dental Academy) trainers. She was a lovely, really enthusiastic trainer. She added her spin to the day, exploring the holistic side of periodontology and the systemic impact of gum health, which was great as I have research interests in the area.
Claire delivered the theory in the morning in our training room and then we had two sessions of in-surgery hands-on, just so that we had smaller groups to get the most out of it. I couldn’t have asked for more.
What opportunities has GBT afforded and what do you hope it will do for the practice and patients moving forward?
I think it’s really helped to motivate the team because the high-quality EMS equipment and the GBT protocol has allowed us to focus on first-class clinical care, taking it to the next level, and on patient comfort.
One of the other big opportunities is that we are always looking for new talent and since we have GBT and the EMS machines, which are considered the ‘Rolls Royce’ by many in the dental hygiene community, it has been attracting really motivated new team members.
The GBT protocol in 8 simple steps
- Assess – probe and screen every clinical case
- Disclose – make biofilm visible
- Motivate – raise awareness and teach
- Airflow – remove biofilm, stains and early calculus
- Perioflow – remove biofilm in less than 4 to 9 mm pockets
- Piezon no pain – remove remaining calculus
- Check – make your patient smile
- Recall – a healthy patient equals a happy patient.
How important is GBT in terms of your treatment workflow?
It’s so important, as GBT provides a gateway to other treatments in the practice (including specialist periodontal therapy). As our hygiene teams are brilliant and can manage a lot of periodontal cases, this then allows the general dental team to then explore advanced restorative treatment modalities, including dental implants.
Where cases are more advanced or high risk, those patients can then see me, and I will carry out my own specialist protocols at that stage. GBT, for me, has really helped with the quality of referrals I get as patients have already been educated in the role of biofilm and started the treatment process.
Following active therapy, it can be implemented during the maintenance phase of treatment so patients get consistent and comfortable care long term to maintain the results of specialist therapy.
How are you helping patients to see that GBT helps to elevate the practice’s oral health offering?
I think the first part of that is just education throughout the team. That really started with Claire on the training day, who helped us consider how we could best communicate the benefits to patients.
Then, within the practice, we’ve got our own marketing strategies in terms of emailing patients, having posters and leaflets in the waiting areas, and running promotions when we got started so that we could build the demand for GBT in a measured way.
The dentists within the practice have also been given information on how GBT and the use of Airflow can be of benefit for specific patients (eg implant maintenance, sensitivity, stain removal), which drives recommendations for GBT with the hygienists.
It has started to snowball now, simply through word of mouth thanks to patients who have had the GBT experience and are enthusiastically sharing their experience with others.
They find it very different to the traditional scale and polish, and once they’ve had GBT, they don’t go back. I remember being told by one of the hygienists that one patient booked in monthly after their first GBT experience!
What advice would you offer to any fellow dental professionals thinking about making the move to GBT?
I would say, take the plunge. I can’t speak highly enough of it in terms of the quality of the equipment and, ultimately, how it’s driven the team forward. To get the most out of it, don’t just consider it as an item you add on to your treatment services; rather, it’s a team approach to patient care integrated into the practice.
You’ll see a massive improvement in your patient journey. And there’s a return on investment, not just from a financial perspective potentially, but also in terms of clinical satisfaction.
The GBT community is also very positive, and having my team being part of it is so refreshing; it draws in individuals who are prepared to invest in themselves and push themselves alongside you.
GBT is an evidence-based, indication-orientated, systematic, modular prevention for prophylaxis and a therapy protocol for all dental applications. Please visit www.ems-dental.com for further information about GBT.
