Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth and teeth clean to prevent dental problems, especially the common dental cavities and gingivitis, and bad breath. There are oral pathologic conditions in which a good oral hygiene is required for healing and regeneration of the oral tissues. These conditions included gingivitis, periodontitis, dental traumas such as subluxation,oral cysts, and after wisdom tooth extraction.

Teeth cleaning is the removal of dental plaque and tartar from teeth to prevent cavities, gingivitis, and gum disease. Severe gum disease causes at least one-third of adult tooth loss.

Tooth decay is the most common global disease affecting every family. Over 80% of cavities occur inside pits and fissures on chewing surfaces where brushing cannot reach food left trapped after every meal or snack and saliva or fluoride have no access to neutralise acid and remineralise demineralised tooth, unlike easy-to-reach surfaces, where few cavities occur.

Fissure sealants dentists apply over grooves in chewing surfaces of back teeth prevent food becoming trapped and halt the decay process. An elastomer strip has been shown to force sealant deeper inside all opposing chewing surfaces at the same time and can also force fluoride toothpaste inside chewing surfaces before brushing to remineralise demineralised teeth.