Arsha Darsh¹*, Deepu Leander² and Roopesh R³

¹PG Resident, Department of Orthodontics, PMS College of Dental Science and Research, Kerala, India
²Professor, Department of Orthodontics, PMS College of Dental Science and Research, Kerala, India
³Professor and HOD, Department of Orthodontics, PMS College of Dental Science and Research, Kerala, India

*Corresponding Author: Arsha Darsh, PG Resident, Department of Orthodontics, PMS College of Dental Science and Research, Kerala, India.

Received: January 17, 2025; Published: January 29, 2025

Abstract

Objective(s): To evaluate the salivary pH, flow rate, Streptococcus mutans count, and electrolyte concentration of Calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), and Sodium (Na) in patients who are undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.

Materials and Methods: The study included 20 subjects undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Unstimulated salivary samples were collected before the placement of fixed orthodontic appliances and at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th months during the treatment. Salivary pH and salivary flow rate were measured, salivary Streptococcus mutans count (CFU count) was determined with selective microbial agar, and electrolyte concentration in saliva (Ca, P, K, and Na) was determined for 10 subjects using Inductively Coupled Plasma- Opti cal Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) analyzer.

Results: It has been observed that there was a decrease in salivary pH, and an increase in salivary flow rate and Streptococcus mu tans count in saliva which was statistically significant(P< .05) at various time intervals of study ie T2 (2nd month), T4 (4th month), T6 (6th month) during the fixed orthodontic treatment when compared with T0 (before placing orthodontic appliances). The salivary electrolyte concentration of Calcium, Potassium, and Phosphorus was found to be significantly decreasing and the salivary electrolyte concentration of Sodium was observed to be increasing from T0, T2, T4, and T6 time intervals of the study (P < .05).

Conclusion: Fixed orthodontic appliances can promote the buildup of plaque, and along with a decrease in salivary pH, an increase in Streptococcus mutans count and a decrease in electrolyte concentration of Calcium and Phosphorus leads to demineralization of enamel gradually leading to white spot lesions and proceeding to dental caries. Understanding the changes in microbial and nonmi crobial parameters of saliva during orthodontic treatment enables the clinician to monitor the progress of treatment and control the factors leading to enamel demineralization from the initial stages by providing adequate oral hygiene guidance in patients undergo ing fixed orthodontic treatment.

Keywords: Salivary pH; Salivary Flow Rate; Streptococcus Mutans Count; Salivary Electrolyte Concentration

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Citation

Citation: Arsha Darsh., et al. “Effect of Fixed Orthodontic Treatment on Salivary pH, Flow Rate, Streptococcus Mutans Count and Electrolyte Concentration: A Quasi-Experimental Study". Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 9.2 (2025): 73-80.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Arsha Darsh., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.