Profiling of subgingival plaque biofilm microbiota in adolescents after completion of orthodontic therapy

BACKGROUND: Fixed orthodontic treatment is the most common method for malocclusion but has the potential risk of periodontal complication with unclear outcomes of whether microbiologic and clinical changes could be reversible in adolescents after orthodontic therapy. METHODS: Twenty adolescents with orthodontic treatment were enrolled in the study as the case group at end of the therapy, while 19 periodontally healthy adolescents were involved in the control group. At baseline (T(0)), clinical parameters including gingival index, probing depth and sulcus bleeding index were tested, and subgingival plaque samples were collected from the lower incisors. The counts of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, T. forsythia and total bacteria were determined by real-time PCR. All parameters were reassessed after 1 month (T(1)) and 3 months (T(2)) in the case group and compared with that of the controls. RESULTS: At baseline (T(0)), clinical parameters (including GI, PD, SBI) of the test sites in the case group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). At 3 months (T(2)), no differences were noticed in GI and SBI between two groups. The prevalence and counts of periodontopathogens tend to be normal (P>0.05), while PD and the amount of P.intermedia were still significantly higher compared with that of the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: After removal of appliances, the periodontal changes induced by orthodontic therapy are only partially reversible at 3 months after removal.