An in-vivo investigation of different oral care agents effects on the flora around orthodontic miniscrews

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of various oral care agents on the flora around the miniscrews applied to the patients underwent orthodontic treatments in vivo. 80 miniscrews were selected from 55 patients with fixed orthodontic treatments which were divided randomly to the 4 different groups. The patients in Group 1 were underwent the use of 1450 ppm of fluoride-containing toothpaste, in Group 2, 1450 ppm of fluoride-containing toothpaste with %0,12 chlorhexidine mouthwash, in Group 3, 1450 ppm fluoride-containing toothpaste with Listerine mouthwash, and in Group 4, 1450 ppm fluoride-containing toothpaste with sterile water spray for three weeks. Biological samples were collected around miniscrews with the help of paper pointers at the beginning (T0) and 3 weeks after (T1) applying different oral care agents. Then all samples were cultured in microbiology laboratories for counting the amont of flora. The agent using performance and periodontal index values of the patients in the miniscrew area were measured. According to the results, total number of microorganisms around the miniscrew in Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4 decreased more significantly than in group 1. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in the comparison of all groups except Group 1. Considering the microorganism species, no statistically significant change in the number of microorganisms was observed in all group at T1 time. In conclusion, oral care agents in Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4 could be used for cleansing and reducing flora around the miniscrews.