Knowledge of an orthodontist towards periodontal health care during orthodontic treatment

Aim: orthodontic corrections are required to maintain the periodontal tissues in health. When doing such treatment, there is a more chance of causing periodontal destruction which is a result of plaque present surrounding the orthodontic materials used. It is the duty of the orthodontist to reinforce the patient in maintaining the oral hygiene.The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge of an orthodontist towards the periodontal health care during orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 120 orthodontists randomly that includes clinical practitioners and post graduate students in South India Population. The questionnaire included a total of 16 questions descripting the common gingival problems encountered during the course of treatment, control measures to prevent them and the duration of the follow up. Results: Approximately three-quarters of responding orthodontists stated that gingival diseases are common during the orthodontic treatment while only 64.2% subjects know the ideal indicator for gingival diseases. However, half of the subjects believe that cervical third of the teeth is more prone for plaque accumulation in healthy subjects. The minority of subjects (27.5%) recommend scaling every time they change the wire and only 31.7% subjects recommended both oral prophylaxis and use of mouthwash in eliminating halitosis Conclusion: The present study shows that there is a lack of awareness among orthodontic practitioners towards periodontal health. Hence, there is a need for every orthodontist to be aware of gingival diseases that prevail during the course of the treatment and the ways to prevent them from occurring.