1. 1Dental School, University College Cork
 Caries status and oral health of patients awaiting orthodontic treatment
C. Ennis1, D. Millett1
1Dental School, University College Cork 
Aim
To re-audit the prevalence of carious lesions in permanent teeth and to investigate oral health behaviour of patients called from the Postgraduate Orthodontic treatment waiting list at Cork University Dental School and Hospital (CUDSH).
Gold standard
100% of patients should be caries-free.1,2
100% of patients should comply with the following practice: brush teeth twice daily, change toothbrush every 3 months, use a fluoridated mouthwash, have a low sugar diet and have attended a dentist within the past year.
Figure 1: Oral health survey
Design and setting
A prospective audit and oral health survey was undertaken from October - December 2015 at the Postgraduate Orthodontic Unit, CUDSH.
Figure 3: Periapical radiograph
Figure 2: Upper occlusal photograph
Materials and Methods
Data from 100 consecutive patients were collected which included: age, gender, caries status and type of radiograph utilised.
An oral health survey with questions relating to their oral hygiene, dental habits and their diet was devolped and piloted on 15 patients. The same 100 patients in the audit study were invited to complete the survey. (Fig 1)
Figure 4: Comparison of caries rates between males and females
Figure 5: Percentage of patients consuming each food item per day
Results
Conclusions
Data from 51 females and 49 males (mean age 15.4 years, SD 2.3) were collected.
Carious lesions were identified in 52% (Fig. 2 & 3). The distribution between males and females is shown in Fig 4.
Most patients (90%) brushed twice daily; 60% changed his/her toothbrush every 3 months and 30% used a fluoride mouthwash.
26% drank fizzy drinks every day with 38% admitting to eating sweets/biscuits daily and 41% having sugar in tea/coffee. (Fig. 5)
Only 31% of patients visited a dentist in the past year.
The gold standards have not been reached.
Screening of patients that are due to be called from the Postgraduate Orthodontic treatment waiting list is required to assess caries status and to improve oral health behaviour prior to assignment for treatment.
References
Meade MJ, Millett DT. An audit of the caries status of patients about to start orthodontic treatment. J Ir Dent Assoc 2011; 57 (3):
Visram S, Waring D. An audit to assess oral hygiene & caries rate in new patient orthodontic referrals, BOS Clinical Effectiveness Bulletin 24:20-22.