In-Office Care Guide

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Recommendations on in-office treatments & adjuncts based on Bristle test results.

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Testing & Implementation Resources

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This guide was created to help inform in-office care & decision-making based on Bristle’s oral microbiome test results.

Click below for the downloadable PDF of this guide.

Bristle In-Office Care Guide.pdf

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Background

This guide provides in-office treatments and methods for dental care to consider based on the results of Bristle’s oral microbiome test. Healthcare providers should use their own knowledge and experience along with this guide to determine the best care for each patient.

Note: this guide only discusses protocols for in-office care. For recommendations and information on at-home care such as diet and hygiene, refer to the patient’s personal test results and care plan in the Bristle dashboard.

Scores Interpretation

Bristle identifies and quantifies the bacterial and fungal species from a saliva sample using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. The relative amount of each microbial species is measured, and compared to results from a cohort of thousands of other individuals.

Condition Insights (Non-Microbe Scores)

Examples: Tooth Decay, Gum Inflammation

Condition scores are calculated using Bristle’s proprietary algorithm which sums the relative amount of each microbial species associated with that condition.

The score represents probability or risk of the patient having that respective condition. For example, a score of 7/10 represents a 70% chance the patient has that condition.

A score of 5/10 represents an average risk the patient has a given condition.

In this guide, we tier scores into four risk buckets: Low, Moderate, High, and Severe.

Individual Microbe Scores

Examples: Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Candida albicans

The individual microbe scores represent the percentile of a microbe in a patient’s sample compared to others. For example, a 9.5 indicates the patient's abundance of that species is greater than 95% of all other users test results.

Disclaimer

This test is not intended to be used for clinical diagnostic purposes. The information contained in this document should not be construed as prescriptive rules, methods, or protocols.

The patient’s healthcare provider is responsible for treatment and prescribing decisions. It is important to consider the patient’s dental and medical history when determining treatment.

Bristle is not responsible for outcomes arising from healthcare providers’ treatment protocols and decisions. Dental providers should consult with relevant specialists or the patient’s primary care provider when infections are advanced or as indicated by the patient’s medical condition.