Effect of fixed space maintainers and removable appliances on oral microflora in children: An in vivo study

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BACKGROUND: Oral habits and caries if left untreated may result in crowding and arch length discrepancy in developing dentition. Therefore, appliances are used to maintain the arch length and for proper relationship between dental arches. However, its insertion may cause an increase in bacterial concentration. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the growth of Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus sp., and Candida albicans in saliva during the first 6 months of orthodontic therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty children in the age group of 6-15 years were selected with regard to indication of orthodontic treatment, and subsequently grouped as patients to be treated with fixed space maintainers or removable appliances. Unstimulated saliva was collected in a sterile container at baseline and at 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month recalls for every selected child. Samples collected were processed for bacterial culture in different culture media at different time intervals. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Version 15.0 statistical software was carried for bacterial counts. Chi-square test and t-test were performed to know the effects of each variable and to reveal the statistical significance. RESULT: Bacterial counts of Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus sp., and Candida albicans were found to be statistically significant (P 0≤ 0.001), (P < 0.05), and (P < 0.001), respectively in both the groups at all intervals. CONCLUSION: At different time intervals, the total numbers of bacterial count of Streptococcus mutans were comparatively higher, followed by Lactobacillus sp. and Candida albicans.

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