title: FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ODONTOGENIC BACTERAEMIA IN ORTHODONTIC PATIENTS.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various researches have investigated factors associated with the prevalence and intensity of bacteraemia following oral procedures including orthodontic procedures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the effect of age, gender, plaque and gingival indices on the occurrence of odontogenic bacteraemia following orthodontic treatment procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Orthodontic Clinic, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos,Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the consecutive, convenience sampling method, a total of 100 subjects who met the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study and peripheral blood was collected before and again within 2 minutes of completion of orthodontic procedures for microbiologic analysis using the BACTEC automated blood culture system and the lysis filtration methods of blood culturing. The subjects were randomly placed in one of four orthodontic procedures investigated: alginate impression making (Group I), separator placement (Group II), band cementation (Group III) and arch wire change (Group IV). Plaque and gingival indices were assessed using the plaque component of the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) (Greene & Vermillion) and Modified gingival index (Lobene) respectively before blood collection. Spearman Point bi-serial correlations and logistic regression statistics were used for statistical evaluations at p < 0.05 level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An overall baseline prevalence of bacteraemia of 3% and 17% were observed using the BACCTEC and lysis filtration methods respectively. Similarly, overall prevalence of bacteraemia following orthodontic treatment procedures of 16% and 28% were observed respectively using the BACTEC and lysis filtration methods. A statistically significant increase in the prevalence of bateraemia was observed following separator placement (p=0.016). An increase in age, plaque index scores and modified gingival index scores of the subjects were found to be associated with an increase in the prevalence of bacteraemia following orthodontic treatment procedures, with plaque index score showing the strongest correlation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Separator placement was found to induce significantly highest level of bacteraemia. Meticulous oral hygiene practice and the use of 0.2% chlorhexidine mouth rinse prior to separator placement may be considered an effective measure in reducing oral bacteria load and consequent reduction of the occurrence of bacteraemia following orthodontic treatment procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Dental Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Umeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dental Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, PMB 12003, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Sanu
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dental Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, PMB 12003, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Utomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Nigerian Institute for Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: F O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Nwaokorie
keywords: Gingival index; Odontogenic bacteraemia; Oral hygiene; Orthodontic treatment procedures; Plaque index