Abstract

Malpositioned teeth are prone to greater accumulations of bacterial plaque due to the difficulty of proper dental hygiene and are subject to a unique pathogenic bacterial microflora which has the potential to increase the severity of gingival inflammation and accelerate the progression of periodontal disease. Furthermore, specific gram-negative bacteria in this microbial floral have been implicated in a variety of systemic diseases largely by the circulatory dissemination of inflammatory cytokines. Orthodontic treatment by way of conservative and nonsurgical methods or by the facilitation of natural eruption or Orthoeruption™ of these teeth is protective for these disease-causing bacteria. Orthodontic treatment planning is therefore a valuable therapeutic periodontal option that should be considered with mainstream periodontal treatment planning. A new dental hygiene protocol is proposed which integrates immediate application of orthodontic brackets and Orthoeruption™ of teeth. This new protocol simultaneously provides multiple patient benefits in a relatively short period of time.

Keywords

orthodontics, orthoeruption, orthodontosis, orthodontitis, gram- negative oral bacteria, periodontal disease, medicine, protocol, dental hygiene, gingival inflammation, periodontal problems, upper respiratory tract