EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF A CHEMICAL ANDMECHANICAL ORAL HYGIENE PROTOCOL IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH A FIXEDEXPANDER DEVICE WITH OCCLUSAL ACRYLIC COVERING

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a hygiene protocol for patients using fixed maxillary expanders with acrylic occlusal coverage. The study consisted of 13 patients in mixed dentition, divided into two groups: 1) intervention group – brushing with fluoridated toothpaste and mouth rinsing with local application of the antiseptic Plax Ice Infinity® (CPC) twice a day; 2) control group – brushing with fluoridated toothpaste only. On the day of appliance installation (T1), clinical periodontal measurements were performed at three sites of the upper right and left second primary molars. The expansion appliances remained in place for four months, and on the day of removal (T2), new periodontal data were collected. Supragingival biofilm samples were also collected for microbiota analysis at T1 and T2 using the DNA-DNA hybridization technique (Checkerboard DNA-DNA). Statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism for Windows software (version 5.0; GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA). A significance level of 5% was established for all analyses. Regarding demographic and clinical parameters, no statistically significant differences were observed between the brushing plus CPC group and the brushing-only group at T1 and T2 (p≥0.05). However, concerning the antimicrobial response of CPC associated with brushing, there was a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of the red complex compared to the brushing-only group at T2 (p≤0.05). In addition, the brushing-only group at T2 showed high counts of P. nigrescens, P. gingivalis, and T. denticola (p≤0.05). Based on the results obtained so far, it is concluded that the oral hygiene protocol using a mouth rinse containing 0.075% CPC was effective in preventing the increase in the proportion of the red complex and the microorganisms P. gingivalis and T. denticola, thus preventing dental biofilm dysbiosis.