Point of Care July/August 2009

Background The maintenance of effective oral hygiene is critical during orthodontic treatment. It is the responsibility of the orthodontist, the general dentist and their teams to collaborate in providing oral hygiene instruction, monitoring and motivation to all patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. It is hoped that these techniques will become habits that stay with the patients for the remainder of their lives. White spot lesions around the surfaces of banded or bonded teeth are a common orthodontic problem, estimated to occur in 13% to 50% of patients.1,2 Orthodontic appliances make tooth-brushing and flossing more difficult, and they increase the surface area available for accumulation of bacterial plaque and food particles. Decalcification may subsequently occur when the intraoral pH decreases.