Abstract
Objective The aim of this study was to assess the effects of orthodontic treatment on the experience, prevalence, and severity of dental caries later in life in a representative sample of U.S. adults. Methods Using a population-based study design, data from 9,486 participants in the third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES), including self-reported information on the history of orthodontic treatment and its timing, were obtained. Caries experience and prevalence was assessed using the decayed (DT) and filled (FT) teeth indices (i.e., DT > 0, FT > 0, and their aggregate DFT > 0). Severe dental caries experience and prevalence was defined as DT > 2, FT > 11, and DFT > 12. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models that accounted for the complex sampling design were used to assess the association between orthodontic treatment and dental caries experience, prevalence, and severity. Statistical significance was set at a P value of less than 0.05. Results The history of orthodontic treatment was reported in 19.62% of the adults. Around 94% of participants had at least one decayed or filled tooth (DFT > 0), and 21.09% met the aggregate DFT criterion for severe caries (DFT > 12). After controlling for confounding variables, a reported history of orthodontic treatment was found to significantly decrease the odds of DT > 0, DT > 2, FT > 11, and DFT > 12 (odds ratios (OR) = 0.41, 0.36, 0.74, and 0.60, respectively). Conclusion A history of orthodontic treatment was a protective factor for untreated dental caries, in assessments of the severity and prevalence of dental caries experience.
Highlights
Dental caries is one of the highly prevalent chronic diseases worldwide [1]
In the U.S, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program managed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the objective of obtaining vital health-related statistics in the 50 states representing 81 counties across the U.S NHANES is a major NCHS program that collects annual health, social, and nutritional information from a nationally representative sample using a cross-sectional design with a complex, stratified, multistage probability cluster sampling process representing the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the U.S household interviews are conducted, and subjects are invited to mobile examination centers (MEC) to complete the health examination component [23]
A significantly higher proportion of decayed teeth (DT) > 0 cases was observed among participants aged 24 years or older, Caucasian females, individuals within the low Socioeconomic status (SES) category, those with less than high school education, and those who reported no history of orthodontic treatment
Summary
In the United States (U.S.), the most recent oral health surveillance report indicated that more than 90% of adults had experienced dental caries in their lifetime, and approximately 32% of them had untreated decay [2]. Dental caries is a preventable disease [8]. Erefore, recognition of individual factors (i.e., risk indicators or factors) that can indicate a person’s susceptibility to develop dental caries and management or even prevention of those factors early in life is important [9]. Malocclusion is one of the factors that contribute to the development of dental caries [3, 10,11,12,13]. Data outlining the ability of orthodontic treatment to reduce the risk of dental caries
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