Kimberly Lloyd-Rees discusses ways you can make your practice more sustainable.
The war on single-use plastics, to protect our environment and particularly the world’s oceans, had been gathering pace until the pandemic pushed it, along with many other global issues, out of the headlines.
As part of the wider discussion about climate change, single-use plastics are a talking point because we have come to rely on them so much, using them in large quantities, every day. From food wrapping to drinks bottles, plastic is everywhere and not all of it can be recycled. There has been progress, but slow progress. We can walk around any supermarket and still see examples of excessive food wrapping, which gets discarded as soon as we get home.
It isn’t just large pieces of plastic, which end up as landfill, incinerated waste or washing up on shorelines that are the problem, though. Plastic items can break down to microscopic sizes and these microplastics get embedded in sediment on the bottom of rivers and the sea.[i] Dealing with the plastic problem means starting at the source and being a more careful consumer. This includes working with companies who recognise the need to do more and are committed to conducting their operations in a socially responsible and ethical way.
What future for the toothbrush?
There are a lot of single-use plastics in dentistry. For all of us, a toothbrush is our introduction to dental hygiene, as soon as our first tooth erupts. It is recommended that we change our toothbrush approximately every three months, when it will start to show signs of wear. So that’s a lot of brushes being discarded. In fact, it is estimated that millions of plastic toothbrushes end up in landfill every year, even washing up on beaches.[ii]
Your youngest patients are likely to be very engaged with environmental concerns, because many schools across the country actively pursue a green agenda. This will include things like requesting parents provide a reusable water bottle that their child can refill and packing their lunch in containers, rather than wrapping it in disposable clingfilm containing non-recyclable PVC. Just like older generations quickly got used to separating their household waste, children are growing up with a different view about plastics and a greater awareness of how changing their behaviour is key to progress.
The fight against dental disease starts with teaching children how to protect themselves against caries, so the toothbrush of the future will have to be “greener”. Must manufacturers now prioritise sustainability, to reduce the environmental impact of this one tool, the cornerstone of preventive oral health?
The practice in the community
In your practice, maybe it’s time to make sustainability part of your branding and show your community how much you care about the environment. A dental practice is a local business; creating a strong local presence will be rewarding not just in terms of revenue – encouraging more people through your door – but will help you to adapt your service to be more responsive, encouraging better relationships with patients and improved outcomes. If you boost your green credentials, this shows you are responsible as well as focussed on a better, healthier future.
Adopt a policy of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ throughout. Sustainable procurement means considering environmental and ethical factors when sourcing goods and services that you use and recommend to patients. Look for suppliers that are active in the campaign for sustainability. Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) is an initiative from the plastics industry to reduce plastic pellet loss into the environment. By signing up, companies support OCS’s aim to ensure microplastics that pass through their manufacturing facilities do not end up in aquatic environments. If single-use plastics cannot be eliminated entirely, it’s about damage limitation and making practical changes where you can.
Recognise the problem presented by toothbrushes made from non-recyclable plastics. There are now options with wooden handles which can be recycled, although the handle may need to be separated from the head. Your patients will be interested to hear about brushes made from something other than all plastic, that can also clean just as well. Premium oral health brand Tandex is launching the Woodi interdental brush with a FSC-certified birchwood handle; the brushes also come packed in a fully recyclable cardboard box. Tandex is signed up to OCS, as part of its long-term commitment to the environment and has invested in sustainable energy sources like solar panels to reduce its Co2-footprint.
Our work to prevent disease and promote good health cannot be separated from the need to be more environmentally responsible. The problem of toothbrushes made from non-recyclable materials is a challenge; sustainable procurement is one solution, and we should also think about how we can reduce usage in the practice as well as our homes. Toothbrushes made from recyclable materials does show progress – the next generation of toothbrushes could have an exciting future ahead.
[i] Cressey, D. Bottles, bags, ropes and toothbrushes: the struggle to track ocean plastics. Nature 536, 263–265 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/536263a
[ii] Cressey, D. Nature 536, 263–265 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/536263a