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Initial carious lesions can represent a complication for patients in orthodontic therapy, it is therefore very important to prevent initial caries lesions before orthodontics or in any case to intervene promptly if they occur during orthodontic treatment.
Initial carious lesions: how to treat them?
On a patient with a fixed orthodontic appliance in which initial caries lesions occur on the surface of the teeth, it is possible to intervene with the topical application of:
- gel;
- toothpaste;
- paints;
- mouthwash.
Recent scientific research has investigated the effectiveness of different methods of treating carious lesions in patients on orthodontic therapy:
- fluorine gel;
- fluorine paint;
- chlorhexidine paint;
- placebo.
The research findings were published in the Journal of Dental Sciences
Methods of treatment of initial caries lesions
The research was carried out on a sample of 48 patients already accustomed to correct oral hygiene, which they declared to brush the teeth three times a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
The patients were divided into four different groups who received different treatments for carious lesions:
- fluoride gel;
- fluoride lacquer;
- chlorhexidine paint;
- placebo-controlled control group.
The effectiveness of the various methods was measured using a laser fluorescent pen (Diagnodent pen – DD), monitoring of the results lasted 12 months. In addition to this instrument, the proximal surfaces of all premolar and molar teeth were analyzed for 24 months through bite radiographs.
Search results
From the analysis of the results obtained for the different methods of treatment of carious lesions, the following emerged:
- the values of carious lesions increased in the groups that performed the placebo gel treatment;
- significant differences were found instead between the patients who used the paints and those who used the fluorine gel, with a decidedly positive efficacy for the paints.
Effectiveness of the treatment with paints of the initial carious lesions
After the analysis phase of the results relating to the four groups of patients examined, it emerged that, during the orthodontic therapy, treatments with fluorine varnish and chlorhexidine varnish are the most effective for the treatment of initial caries lesions, while inadequate fluoride gel.
As shown by the research results, by intervening promptly with special therapies, it is possible to treat caries lesions even during orthodontic treatment.
Obviously this is possible by planning periodic check-ups and monitoring, only in this way can the dentist check the health of the teeth and intervene as effectively as possible to avoid complications.
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