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How to compare Bristle results with other salivary tests
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Video Transcript:
How do you compare the Bristle test to other salivary tests? The Bristle test measures the makeup of the entire oral microbiome. The average person has over a hundred different bacterial species living in their mouth. Bristle algorithms take these microbiome profiles and calculate seven different health scores to describe how the oral microbiome impacts oral and overall health.
Our algorithms take into account measurements of dozens of beneficial and pathogenic species, and the Bristle scores are always reported on a standard scale from zero to 10 with an interpretation that it informs you and your patients on where to improve. Another way to test differ is through the microbes that can be detected.
Did you know that over a dozen different species of bacteria have been shown to play an important role in the progression and risk of periodontal disease? The Bristle test includes all of these species, while other tests only include a few, and this is just for periodontal disease. It's a similar story in dental caries where a variety of species can impact the risk of caries progression, not to mention the beneficial bacteria that also play a major role in oral health.
While the measurements from these technologies are not directly comparable at Bristle, we've made an algorithm that standardizes the measurements and puts all the microbes on an easy to interpret scale from zero to 10. This is different from the other tests that have different scales for each microbe, or you would need to make your own interpretation for whether a patient's risk is high or low.
The raw data for the Bristle test is a community measurement called relative abundance. Which takes into consideration the abundance of beneficial species and their impact. This measurement is not directly comparable to tests that use genome copies per mil. However, a zero on a Bristle test translates to low on other tests while a 10 on a Bristle test translates to high.
In summary, the scores for a Bristle test are on a standardized scale from zero to 10, and these scores are unique to Bristle only. The scores are based on a summary of all the microbes in the oral microbiome. While other tests can only measure a very small subset, the Bristle test measures the entire community, which includes the dozens of species that affect your risk of oral disease, including both periodontal disease and cavities.
Importantly, the beneficial microbes are included in a Bristle test, which are an important factor in oral health outcomes.
Still have questions? Please email providersupport@bristlehealth.com.