%0 Journal Article
%T In-office bacteria test for a microbial monitoring during the conventional and self-ligating orthodontic treatment
%A Stefano Mummolo
%A Enrico Marchetti
%A Maria Rita Giuca
%A Gianni Gallusi
%A Simona Tecco
%A Roberto Gatto
%A Giuseppe Marzo
%J Head & Face Medicine
%D 2013
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-160x-9-7
%X Sixty young adult subjects were selected (average 20.5, DS 1.62), among which 40 underwent an orthodontic treatment (20 were treated with self-ligating brackets and 20 with conventional brackets) and 20 were controls. Plaque Index, salivary flow and buffering capacity of saliva were assessed before the beginning of the orthodontic treatment. Then the microbial counts were obtained by using an in-office bacteria test.The plaque index (PI) increased over time in each group as well as salivary flow, mostly in subjects treated with self-ligating brackets, suggesting a difference between conventional and self-ligating brackets. S.mutans showed a different trend of colonization in the two treated groups, as for subjects treated with conventional brackets it showed the greater value at the early stage of treatment (T1), followed by a decrease at T2. Lactobacillus spp. showed significant increase over time in the two treated groups, respect to the control group. Linear regression analysis showed no significant predictor for the microbial count at T2.The assortment of the various species of bacteria change over time during the orthodontic treatment, and seems to show different trends, depending on the type of orthodontic device. Consequently a periodical microbial monitoring using in-office bacteria tests, seems indicated.For the prevention of caries during the orthodontic treatment, a clear dominance of S.mutans alone is not decisive for a high caries risk. Lactobacillus spp. alone or the combination of S.mutans and Lactobacillus spp. come into play. Consequently, the occurrence of both types of bacteria must be evaluated [1]. For the S.mutans, the pre-treatment levels of S. mutans seem to be significant predictors of the levels of S. mutans after placement of orthodontic appliances, while this was not the case for total bacterial counts.In general, the determination of both the S.mutans and the Lactobacillus spp. seems to increase the accuracy of the prognosis, as the two
%U http://www.head-face-med.com/content/9/1/7