The impact of oral hygiene instruction on plaque control in orthodontic patients: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Deficient dental plaque control is common in adolescents, mainly among those wearing orthodonticapparatus. This study aimed to compare plaque control and oral hygiene habits in adolescents with and withoutfixed orthodontic appliances. Additionally, it was investigated whether personalized oral hygiene instruction(OHI) could be a predictor for reducing dental plaque accumulation in orthodontic patients. Material andMethods: Sixty-nine patients, aged 12 to 20 years, were evaluated in a public organization which provides dentalcare. A questionnaire of oral hygiene habits was applied, and the number of natural teeth and number of teethwith visible biofilm were obtained during clinical examination. A comparative analysis of sociodemographicand clinical data was performed, splitting this population into two groups: those who used fixed orthodonticappliances (n=40) and those who did not (n=29). Results: There were no differences in oral hygiene habitsamong groups. The Poisson regression showed that adolescents with fixed appliances were 54% more likely tohave dental plaque buildup compared to those who did not. Among individuals wearing orthodontic appliance,those who had not received personalized OHI before or during orthodontic treatment were 78% more likelyto have a greater number of teeth with bacterial plaque compared to instructed ones. Conclusion: Especiallyamong the adolescents wearing fixed orthodontic appliances, those who have not received personalized OHI werealmost twice as likely to have a greater number of teeth with dental biofilm accumulation. Dentists and dentalhygienists play a prominent role in motivating and improving the quality of individual oral hygiene. KEYWORDSOral hygiene; Dental plaque; Orthodontic appliances; Adolescent; Prevention and control.