None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Investigate the efficacy of air-polishing in managing dental plaque in patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances and see if it can reduce dental plaque accumulation and the unwanted outcomes of gum inflammation and early stages of dental decay. Air-polishing is a clinic-based procedure that utilises a pressurised jet of air, water and abrasive powder through a specialised handpiece. We suspect that the procedure will potentially offer an efficient, effective and financially viable technique to improve oral health care for patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.
Interventions
Air-polishing with EMS Air-Flow
Two quadrants of the mouth will receive the Air-Flow cleaning during their monthly orthodontic visits. The treatment protocol will be set according to the manufacturer’s recommendations; that is the distance of the air-polishing tip to the surface of the enamel will be between 3 to 5 mm. The angulation of the central beam will be between 30 to 60 degrees. A set cleaning time of five seconds only for each tooth in each quadrant to be treated will be enforced with a
Air-polishing with EMS Air-Flow Two quadrants of the mouth will receive the Air-Flow cleaning during their monthly orthodontic visits. The treatment protocol will be set according to the manufacturer’s recommendations; that is the distance of the air-polishing tip to the surface of the enamel will be between 3 to 5 mm. The angulation of the central beam will be between 30 to 60 degrees. A set cleaning time of five seconds only for each tooth in each quadrant to be treated will be enforced with a stopwatch. The system used is the Air-Flow Handy 3.0 Plus handpiece (Electro Medical Systems, Nyon, Switzerland). The Powder used is Air-Flow Sub+Supragingival Plus Powder with a particle size of 14µm granules. The device settings will standardised at an air pressure of 5 bar with a water flow rate of 20mL/min. The Air-Flow intervention will be conducted by only one person, the investigator. The Air-Flow will be conducted by a single dentist of five years experience. The intervention will be monitored by a digital clinic note placed on the patient's file using the patient management software Titanium. Participants will receive one treatment followed by another (in a random order), but both will be conducted at the start of the same monthly orthodontic adjustment appointment.
Sponsors
James Millar
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
10 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
• Poor oral hygiene and plaque control (defined by patients currently under treatment who have attended at least two consecutive adjustment appointments where poor oral hygiene has been noted in their clinical record) • Permanent dentition • Minimum of 20 natural teeth • Full upper and lower fixed appliances, with conventional buccal stainless-steel metal brackets (RMO Mini-Taurus, Alexander prescription)
Exclusion criteria
• Systemic disease (e.g. diabetes, hemophilia, salivary dysfunction etc.) • Patients with respiratory difficulties (e.g. chronic bronchitis, asthma etc.) or suffering from upper respiratory tract infections • Patients at risk with bacteraemia (e.g. endocarditis, pregnancy, breast feeding, immune deficiency etc) • Physical or mental impairment that affects ability to self-perform home oral hygiene • Periodontal disease • Enamel defects (e.g. fluorosis, enamel hypoplasia etc) • Current or previous smoker • Residing in non-fluoridated area • Taking antibacterial medication (e.g. antibiotic therapy, antibacterial mouth rinses etc) • Fixed or removable functional orthodontic appliances (e.g. forsus, powerscope etc)
Outcome results
None listed