A Study on Use of Interdental Brushes among Patients Who are Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment: An Epidemiological Survey.

Introduction Maintenance of periodontal health is very important during fixed orthodontic treatment as accumulation of plaque can cause dental challenges that may interfere with orthodontic treatment; hence the present investigation was carried out to examine the knowledge of patients who were using interdental brushes during fixed orthodontic treatment. Methods Total 150 subjects aged 14 to 30 years from Mangalore city were selected. Majority of them were in the age group of 14 to 18 years (39.33%). Overall, 77 females (51.3%) and 73 males (48.7%) who were undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment and had given consent for the participation in epidemiological questionnaire survey were included. Demographic information and use of interdental brushes during fixed orthodontic treatment for maintaining periodontal health were included in the survey. Result Overall, 58% of the participants undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment were using interdental brushes, which was statistically significant. The frequency of using interdental brush was 72.4%, 19.5%, and 8.04% daily, weekly, and monthly, respectively. Conclusion The majority of the study participants who sought fixed orthodontic treatment were using interdental brushes daily in order to maintain periodontal health, which was statistically significant. Patient education and motivation was shown to be strongly associated with maintaining of periodontal health among study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]