Orthodontists’ instructions for oral hygiene in patients with removable and fixed orthodontic appliances

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionThe aim of this questionnaire‐based survey was to evaluate information on frequencies, instructions and products relating to oral hygiene (OH) in orthodontic practices.MethodsUsing a computer‐generated randomization list, 1000 orthodontists were selected and sent a questionnaire. The size and number of inhabitants of the federal states of Germany were considered. The federal states with the highest return rate (Baden‐Wuerttemberg [BW], Bavaria [B], Hesse [H], Lower Saxony [LS], Nordrhein‐Westphalia [NRW]) were considered and differences between the 16 federal states were divided into North, South, East and Central Germany.ResultsThe response rate of the questionnaires was 52.4%. The majority (53.8%) worked in one practice alone. Most (59.1%) have been orthodontists for 5–25 years. For vestibular multibracket appliances (MBA) in BW, B, H and LS over 90% recommended interdental brushes (IDB). In NRW 91.4% recommend fluoride gel. In B and H more than 80% chose electric toothbrush (ETB), in BW, LS and NRW more than 80% manual toothbrush (MTB). For lingual MBA (LMBA) in BW, H, LS and NRW with approximately 50% each fluoride gel, IDB and MTB were chosen. In B fluoride gel, IDB and ETB. For removable apparatus (RA), five federal states recommended MTB (>80%) and ETB (BW, B, H > 80%; NRW > 70%; LS > 60%).ConclusionElectric toothbrushes are recommended for the use with all appliances, only with removable appliances manual toothbrushes are favoured. For vestibular MBA it is strongly advised to use IDB additionally.