Orthodontists should consider the body mass index (BMI) and oral health of their patients with multibracket (MB) appliances in anticipating the length of treatment, according to a study from the University of Giessen, Germany.
The researchers analyzed 175 adolescent MB patients who started and finished treatment between 2007 and 2012. According to their pre-treatment BMI, they were categorized as normal weight, overweight, or obese.
Also, the researchers classified their cooperation during treatment as good, bad, or poor and calculated their treatment duration. They used pre-treatment and post-treatment photographs to assess white spot lesion (WSL) formation and gingivitis before and after MB therapy.
According to the data, 138 of the subjects (79%) had a normal BMI, 22 of them (12.5%) were overweight, and 15 (8.5%) were obese. While 42.8% of the normal weight patients showed good cooperation, only 22.7% of the overweight patients and 20.9% of the obese patients cooperated sufficiently. On average, normal weight patients were treated for 22.2 months, overweight patients required 23 months, and obese patients saw 27.7 months.
Also, the normal weight patients developed fewer WSLs (41.3%) during MB treatment than overweight (50%) and obese (66.7%) patients. Patients who were of normal weight or were overweight had less gingival inflammation (79.5%) after treatment than obese patients (93.3%) as well.
The researchers concluded that increased BMI is a risk factor for less cooperation, longer treatment duration, and more oral health problems during MB treatment. They also noted that patients with higher BMI require special attention during orthodontic therapy.
The study, “Impact of Body Mass Index on Oral Health During Orthodontic Treatment: An Explorative Pilot Study,” was published in The European Journal of Orthodontics. It was written by Julia von Bremen, Nathalie Lorenz, and Sabine Ruf of the department of orthodontics at the University of Giessen.
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