Abstract
Background: Fixed orthodontic appliances hinder oral hygiene maintenance, promote the development of white spot lesions (WSLs), and impose a significant risk on the dentition.
Objective: to evaluate the prevalence and association of oral hygiene status and WSLs among orthodontic patients attending orthodontic departments at Hue University.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 on 100 students from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Data were collected through clinical assessment of patients’ enamel damage index (WSLs) (International Caries Detection and Assessment System, ICDAS) and oral hygiene status (Simple Oral Hygiene Index, OHI-S).
Results: Among 100 orthodontic patients (mean OHI-S: 1.32 ± 1.39), 48% had fair, 30% had poor, 22% had good hygiene, with no cases of excellent hygiene. The prevalence of WSLs was 44.0%. Female had lower OHI-S scores (1.28 ± 1.38 vs. 1.45 ± 1.43) and a lower of WSLs prevalence (40.79% vs. 54.17%) than males. There were moderate positive correlations of OHI-S and WSLs (r = 0.27, p = 0.0053) and treatment duration (r = 0.35, p = 0.03). Treatment duration had a strong, positive correlation with WSLs (r = 0.72, p = 0.0000).
Conclusions: Among orthodontic patients, there were high prevalence of poor to fair oral hygiene with high occurrent of WSLs. Female had better oral health status and lower occurrence of WSLs. Poor oral hygiene and longer treatment duration was associated with a higher prevalence of WSLs.
| Published | 2026-04-30 | |
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| Issue | Vol. 16 No. 02 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2026.2.606 | |
| Keywords | Oral hygiene status, fixed orthodontic, white spot lesion Oral hygiene status; fixed orthodontic treatment; white spot lesion. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
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