title: Clinical and microbiological parameters in patients with self-ligating and conventional brackets during early phase of orthodontic treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of different bracket designs (conventional brackets and self-ligating brackets) on periodontal clinical parameters and periodontal pathogens in subgingival plaque.
  
  
  METHODS
  The following inclusion criteria were used: requirement of orthodontic treatment plan starting with alignment and leveling, good general health, healthy periodontium, no antibiotic therapy in the previous 6 months before the beginning of the study, and no smoking. The study sample totaled 38 patients (13 male, 25 female; mean age, 14.6 ± 2.0 years). Patients were divided into two groups with random distribution of brackets. Recording of clinical parameters was done before the placement of the orthodontic appliance (T0) and at 6 weeks (T1), 12 weeks (T2), and 18 weeks (T3) after full bonding of orthodontic appliances. Periodontal pathogens of subgingival microflora were detected at T3 using a commercially available polymerase chain reaction test (micro-Dent test) that contains probes for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant higher prevalence of A actinomycetemcomitans in patients with conventional brackets than in patients with self-ligating brackets, but there was no statistically significant difference for other putative periodontal pathogens. The two different types of brackets did not show statistically significant differences in periodontal clinical parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bracket design does not seem to have a strong influence on periodontal clinical parameters and periodontal pathogens in subgingival plaque. The correlation between some periodontal pathogens and clinical periodontal parameters was weak.
authors: School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia. spejda@gmail.com
authors: Slavica
authors: S
authors: Pejda
authors: Marina Lapter
authors: ML
authors: Varga
authors: Sandra Anic
authors: SA
authors: Milosevic
authors: Senka
authors: S
authors: Mestrovic
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Slaj
authors: Dario
authors: D
authors: Repic
authors: Andrija
authors: A
authors: Bosnjak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D016910:Orthodontic Brackets / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction