Plaque levels of patients with fixed orthodontic appliances measured by digital plaque image analysis

Introduction A digital plaque image analysis system was developed to objectively assess dental plaque formation and coverage in patients treated with fixed orthodontic appliances. Methods The technique was used to assess plaque levels of 52 patients undergoing treatment with fixed appliances in the Department of Orthodontics at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. Results Plaque levels ranged from 5.1% to 85.3% of the analyzed tooth areas. About 37% of the patients had plaque levels over 50% of the dentition, but only 10% exhibited plaque levels below 15% of tooth coverage. The mean plaque coverage was 41.9% ± 18.8%. Plaque was mostly present along the gum line and around the or…