Quantitative Changes in Anaerobic Subgingival Microbiota in Patients, before and during Fixed Orthodontic Treatment

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the growth of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Veillonella before and during fixed orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of 40 patients (20 males, 20 females). The patients were divided into two groups, Group 1 (pretreatment group) before any fixed orthodontic treatment and Group 2 (active treatment group) 6 months into fixed treatment. A. actinomycetemcomitans was cultured on tryptic soy bacitracin vancomycin agar, and for the rest and total aerobic count, Columbia agar was used. The culture plates were incubated anaerobically for 72 h. Bacteria were identified by their physical and microscopic appearances. Further, specific bacteria were identified by VITEK 2 Compact Automated Identification System (Biomerieux). Using the magnifying glass, the total number of bacteria was determined. Result: For all the microbes, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, Veillonella (excepting A. actinomycetemcomitans), a significant increase in count was observed. Mean change was highest for P. intermedia (0.64 ± 0.74 × 104 CFU/ml) and minimum for P. gingivalis (0.12 ± 0.35 × 104 CFU/ml). For A. actinomycetemcomitans, at both before and active treatment phases, the count was 0 ± 0 × 104 CFU/ml. For different microbes, change in microbial count ranged from 18.8% (P. gingivalis) to 52% (P. intermedia). For Veillonella, the change was 51.4%. Conclusion: Orthodontic appliance serves as different loci for bacterial growth. In this in vivo study, significant differences were noted between the bacterial count in pretreatment group and active treatment group. Adequate oral prophylaxis instructions should be given to patients before starting fixed orthodontic treatment so that oral hygiene can be maintained