Oral hygiene status among orthodontic patients.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral hygiene status of patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The following indices were used to evaluate the oral hygiene status of patients in orthodontic treatment: gingival bleeding index (GBI), plaque index (PI), and ortho-plaque index (OPI). A self-administrated questionnaire was prepared covering oral hygiene practice, oral hygiene cleaning aids, and number of visits to a dental hygienist. RESULTS: Fifty patients (15-30 years old) were selected for the study from among the orthodontic patients treated at the King Saud University College of Dentistry, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results showed that the PI and OPI were high with mean scores of 65.24 (SD 16.43) and 53.56 (SD 8.74) respectively, while the average GBI was a much lower value at 19.14 (SD 7.95). No significant difference was observed between male and female patients for the PI (p=0.925) and for the OPI (p=0.072), but a significant difference was observed for the GBI at the 5 percent significance level (p=0.033). The result of OPI showed that 20 (40 percent) of the patients had fair oral hygiene, whereas 30 (60 percent) had poor oral hygiene. Only 16 (32 percent) of the participants reported visiting the dental hygienist during their orthodontic treatment, while the remaining 34 (68 percent) did not. CONCLUSIONS: The oral home care of the orthodontic patients surveyed was not at an optimal level, which indicated the need to establish an oral hygiene maintenance program. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Inadequate oral home care among orthodontic patients may make them more prone to develop gingivitis during orthodontic treatment. It is, therefore, essential that oral hygiene instructions and a hygiene maintenance program not be overlooked during orthodontic treatment.

The effect of miswak and tooth brush filaments end-surface texture on enamel. A SEM pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the abrasive effect of miswak and toothbrush filaments on enamel tooth surface. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten maxillary central incisors were obtained from Division of Maxillofacial Surgery, King Saud University, College of Dentistry. Twenty specimen were prepared, they were divided into 4 groups (1) Butler toothbrush; (2) Aquafresh toothbrush; (3) Miswak; (4) Control group. Miswak, Aquafresh 311 and Butler 311 tooth brush were used with light pressure in one direction motion for 60 seconds on enamel surface. The specimens were prepared for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) examination. The middle filament from toothbrushes and miswak were also prepared for SEM. RESULTS: Showed that filaments end-surface texture play a major role in abrasive active activity and enamel tooth surface loss. CONCLUSION: The Butler 311 toothbrush and miswak showed lesser effect on enamel as compared to Aquafresh 311 toothbrush.

Oral home care and the reasons for seeking dental care by individuals on renal dialysis.

A cross-sectional study of 90 patients on renal dialysis was conducted to assess oral home care practices and the reasons for seeking dental care among these patients. Participants were divided into three groups based on the time they have been on renal dialysis. The groups were: (1) dialysis for less than one year, (2) dialysis for 1 to 3 years, and (3) dialysis for more than 3 years. Information regarding oral home care such as frequency of brushing, oral hygiene aids, and reasons for seeking dental care was obtained through a personal interview with the patients. Their oral health status was assessed using a plaque index and a gingival index. The means of plaque index were 1.716 (S.D 0.64), 2.161 (S.D 0.36), and 2.255 (S.D 0.42) respectively for the groups. The means of gingival index were 1.4278 (S.D 0.67), 1.9667 (S.D 0.38), and 2.0556 (S.D 0.35) for the three groups respectively. Tukey's post hoc test showed significant difference in both the indices between first and second groups and between the first and third groups, no significant difference was found between the second and third groups. The results indicate that oral home care practices were inadequate due to the presence of an unacceptable level of oral hygiene among the patients. Miswak (a wooden, Salvadora persica, chewing stick that is popular in the middle east to mechanically clean the teeth) has been found to be popular among the subjects. The primary purpose of dental clinic visits was for treatment of a dental problem rather than for the prevention of dental disease. There is a need for oral health promotion and especially prevention programs among the patients on renal dialysis.

Periimplant probing: positives and negatives.

Periodontium in normal dentition is not as it is surrounding an implant area. Thus, periodontal probing with normal dentition is not similar to periimplant probing. The periimplant probing protocol should be different from periodontal probing because of inherent anatomical differences. The aim of this paper is to review the topics related to periimplant probing and to draw inferences to develop a periimplant probing protocol.