SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

Management of maxillofacial fractures within three years of empirical findings
Marijus Leketas, Evelina Vedlugaitė, Ričardas Kubilius
39-50

Radiologic features of temporomandibular joint osseous structures in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Cone beam computed tomography study
Hadeel Al-Shwaikh, Ilga Urtane, Pertti Pirttiniemi, Paula Pesonen, Zane Krisjane, Iveta Jankovska, Zane Davidsone, Valda Stanevica
51-60

Age and gender influence on oral hygiene among adolescents with fixed orthodontic appliances
Ieva Kudirkaite, Kristina Lopatiene, Jurate Zubiene, Kristina Saldunaite
61-65

In vitro color and roughness stability of different temporary restorative materials
Egle Mickeviciute, Egle Ivanauskiene, Viktorija Noreikiene
66-72

Stomatologija 2016; 18 (2): 61-5 201 KB

Age and gender influence on oral hygiene among adolescents with fixed orthodontic appliances

Ieva Kudirkaite¹, Kristina Lopatiene², Jurate Zubiene³, Kristina Saldunaite³

Summary

Backround. Many factors can influence oral health including oral hygiene measures, eating habits, attention from parents, education and the social situation. It is even harder to keep good oral health when orthodontic treatments are applied, because orthodontic treatments are usually undergone by children and adolescents who have fewer skills and pay less attention to their oral health; this may lead to bleeding on probing (BOP), a higher plaque index (PI), a higher gingival index (GI), and an increase in probing pocket depth (PPD). The aim of this study was to compare the features of oral hygiene among different age groups and gender in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.

Material and methods. The study consisted of 107 patients from the Department of Orthodontics of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences aged 12 to 18 years with fixed orthodontic appliances. The patients were given a questionnaire with 17 questions about their oral hygiene and how it changed after they started their treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances. A statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0.

Results. Among the 107 participants, 69 (64.5%) were females and 38 (35.5%) were males. 57 (53.3%) participants were 12 to 15 years old and 50 (46.7%) 16 to 18 years old. There was a statistically significant result when comparing the differences between females and males: females brushed their teeth more regularly than males (p<0.005). Statistically significant results could also be observed when comparing the different age groups: 16 to 18 year old patients reported more often brushing their teeth three or more times a day (p<0.005), reported more intensive changes in their oral hygiene after starting orthodontic treatments (p<0.005), and received more recommendations from their orthodontist about oral hygiene measures (p<0.005).

Conclusion. In patients with fixed orthodontic appliances, the oral hygiene of 16 to 18 year old adolescents is better than the oral hygiene of 12 to 15 year old adolescents. Females brush their teeth more regularly than males. More studies should be done to evaluate any differences.

---

¹Faculty of Odontology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

²Clinic of Orthodontics, Faculty of Odontology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

³Clinic of Preventive and Paediatric Dentistry, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania

Address correspondence to Ieva Kudirkaite, A. Lukšos –Daumanto g. 6, LT-50106 Kaunas, Lithuania.

E-mail address: ievutespastas@gmail.com