INFLUENCE OF ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT ON THE OCCURRENCE OF TOOTH DECAY

Introduction: Obtaining better aesthetics and correct occlusion are the main reasons for undertaking orthodontic treatment in every patient. However, orthodontic treatment is predicted to increase the risk of carious lesions.

Aim: To analyze the prevalence of tooth decay depending on gender, age, duration of orthodontic treatment and the type of malocclusion; and to evaluate the practice of oral hygiene and eating habits in orthodontic patients.

Place and Duration: In the Orthodontic department of Nishtar Dental Hospital, Multan for six-months duration from March 2020 to August 2020.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 212 orthodontic patients (11 to 30 years of age) with fixed appliances for at least six months was conducted. A questionnaire form based on the "dental condition and need for treatment, WHO" was used to present the DMFT index and the incidence of dental caries. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the oral hygiene practice and eating habits of orthodontic patients. The relationship between dental caries and gender, age group, duration of orthodontic treatment and the type of malocclusion was analyzed with the chi-square test (p <0.05).

Result: The prevalence of dental caries (DMFT) was 79.2%, and the mean DMFT value was 2.87 among orthodontic patients. The incidence of dental caries in men and women was 69.44% and 60%, respectively. Caries was highest in the 16-20-year age group (72.22%), in the group lasting more than 18 months (63.92%) and in the class I malocclusion group (68.38%). Similarly, 30.2% eat sweets, 26.9% eat fast food, and 14.2% often snacks between meals.

Conclusion: A fairly large percentage of ese orthodontic patients use normal oral hygiene methods, but very few use special oral hygiene measures. The study did not show any association between the incidence of caries and gender groups, age groups, duration of orthodontic treatment, and types of malocclusion.

Key words: dental caries, DMFT, malocclusion, occurrence, orthodontic treatment, morbidity