Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
September 2010
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
27
Issue:
3

Plaque, caries level and oral hygiene habits in young patients receiving orthodontic treatment

Objective: To assess plaque, caries, and oral hygiene habits amongst patients receiving fixed-orthodontic treatment at the Dental-Clinic, Universidad-El-Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia. Basic research design: Test-group: 74 12-29-year-olds receiving fixed-orthodontic treatment; reference-group: 63 12-29-year-olds before they started the orthodontic treatment. Visual examinations (one examiner) recorded the following: Ortho-plaque-Index (OPI) expressed per patient as good, fair and poor-oral-hygiene. Caries was scored with the modified-ICDAS-II criteria as: 0-sound; 1B/1W-brown/white-opacity-after-air-drying; 2B/2W-brown/white-opacity-without-air-drying; 3-microcavity; 4-underlyingshadow; 5/6-distinct/extensive-cavity. Filled/missing surfaces due-to-caries and caries-lesions on buccal surfaces at three sites around the brackets were recorded. A 7-item self-administered oral-hygiene habits’ questionnaire was used. Results: Chi-square test revealed that the oral-hygiene level was significantly better in the reference group compared to the test group (p<0.05). The traditional mean DMF-S was 6.7±6.3 in the test- and 6.2±5.9 in the reference-group (p>0.05). When adding modified-ICDAS-II lesions scores 1-4, the figure increased to 23.6±9.4 in the test- and to 13.6±10.3 in the reference-group (p<0.001). A total of 96% had ≥1 white-opacity in the test group versus 56% in the reference group (P<0.001). In the test-group the buccal-surfaces accounted for most white-opacities and close to 1/3 of these lesions on the upper-anterior teeth were located around the brackets. The questionnaire disclosed that 58% in the test- vs. 44% in the reference-group did not accept having dental caries lesions during the orthodontic treatment. Conclusions: The results showed a high prevalence of white-opacities related to orthodontic appliances and indicate the need to implement preventive programmes at the dental clinic.

Key words: Buccal surfaces, dental caries, ICDAS-II criteria, oral hygiene, orthodontics.

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
133
Page End
138
Authors
S. Martignon, K.R. Ekstrand, M.I. Lemos, CM.P. Lozano, C. Higuera

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - The challenges of designing and evaluating complex interventions
  2. 130
  3. 132

  1. Plaque, caries level and oral hygiene habits in young patients receiving orthodontic treatment
  2. 133
  3. 138

  1. The voice of the elderly in accepting alternative perspectives on oral health
  2. 139
  3. 144

  1. Social determinants of dental health services utilisation of Greek adults
  2. 145
  3. 150

  1. Oral health and treatment needs of institutionalized chronic psychiatric patients in Istanbul, Turkey.
  2. 151
  3. 157

  1. Barriers to oral health care amongst different social classes in India.
  2. 158
  3. 162

  1. Social differences in tooth decay occurrence in a sample of children aged 3 to 5 in North-East Italy
  2. 163
  3. 166

  1. Child oral health concerns amongst parents and primary care givers in a Sure Start Local Programme
  2. 167
  3. 171

  1. A 6-year longitudinal study of caries in teenagers and the effect of “dropouts” on the findings
  2. 172
  3. 177

  1. The dentist workforce in Kuwait to the year 2020.
  2. 178
  3. 183

  1. The distribution of individual tooth impaction in general dental patients of Northern India
  2. 184
  3. 186

  1. Short Communication - Wheelchair-accessible dental offices in Nagasaki, Japan
  2. 187
  3. 190