Self-perceived halitosis among young adults undergoing orthodontic treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Halitosis is a common oral health problem that significantly impacts the quality of life of the affected individuals. In most cases, poor oral hygiene is responsible for the problem. Orthodontic therapy aims to correct malocclusion using different devices. It has been suggested that orthodontic treatment can promote gingival health by facilitating daily oral hygiene measures. However, the treatment may harm gingival health as these appliances may lead to a more significant accumulation of plaque, increasing the microbial load in the subgingival environment leading to halitosis. OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this survey is to assess the prevalence of self-perceived halitosis in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online questionnaire was randomly distributed to patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. A total of 289 subjects completed the questionnaire. It included questions about: demographic data, medical history, social habits, past dental treatment and oral hygiene habits. Descriptive statistics as frequency distributions and percentages were calculated for the study variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-perceived halitosis was 41.5%. The majority of the participants started to notice this problem during and after orthodontic treatment (62.5%). A statistically significant correlation was found between the regular dental visits and halitosis in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances (p-value = 0.010). Also, those patients had a substantial increase in tongue coating formation (p- value = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Self-perceived halitosis is a common problem in patients receiving orthodontic treatment.

Gingival health and oral hygiene practices among high school children in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Gingivitis is a site-specific inflammatory condition initiated by dental biofilm accumulation. The accumulation of dental plaque on the gingival margin triggers inflammatory effects that can become chronic. In addition to its local effect, gingival inflammation has recently been suggested to have an impact on general health. OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of gingivitis and its relationship to oral hygiene practices in high school children in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: High schools from different regions in Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Periodontal examinations were conducted on a randomly selected sample of high school children between the ages of 15 and 19 years. Gingival and plaque indices, probing depth, clinical attachment level, oral hygiene practices and sociodemographic characteristics were recorded. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and the independent t test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Prevalence of gingivitis as defined by mean gingival index. SAMPLE SIZE: 2435 high school students. RESULTS: Twenty-one percent of the sample had slight gingivitis, 42.3% had moderate, and 1.8% had severe. Gender, toothbrushing, tongue brushing, plaque index, and the percentage of pocket depth (PD) ≥4 mm showed a significant relationship with the severity of gingivitis. Almost 39.3% of females had a healthy periodontal status when compared to males (30.7%). Thirty-five percent (35.5%) of students who brushed their teeth had a healthy periodontium compared to 26.9% who did not brush. The mean plaque index was significantly higher in students with severe gingivitis when compared to students with healthy periodontium (2.4 vs. 0.79, respectively). CONCLUSION: Gingivitis prevalence was high compared with Western countries in a nationally representative sample of high school students in Saudi Arabia and was influenced by oral hygiene practices. LIMITATIONS: The half-mouth study design may underestimate disease prevalence. Data on oral hygiene practices was self-reported and may thus have been affected by social desirability bias. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.