What’s new for the clinician – summaries of recently published papers

Abstract

Interdental cleaning devices in the form of dental floss and interdental brushes have traditionally being used as adjuncts to plaque removal in the interproximal areas of teeth. However, their routine use among younger adolescents has been reported in many studies to be less than optimal. In orthodontic patients, fixed braces promote supra- and subgingival accumulation of biofilm by impeding oral hygiene resulting in an altered oral microbiome, enamel decalcification and gingivitis1. It was recently shown that patients with upper and lower multibracket appliances are affected significantly more frequently by gingivitis (65%) and white spot lesions (30%).1 Additionally, in the predominantly young orthodontic patients, interdental spaces are often too narrow to use interdental brushes and flossing is challenging and time-consuming. Oral irrigators are easy to use even in the presence of orthodontic braces and are therefore favoured by many patients. Most oral irrigators use a stream of water only to mechanically remove plaque from interproximal areas but there are also oral irrigators which use a mixture of air and water, called microburst technology.