What’s new for the clinician – summaries of recently published papers (June 2023)

Abstract

There has been a huge increase in the number of adolescents and young adults on fixed orthodontic treatment for periods longer than 1 year. Often the desired outcome of having a perfectly aligned set of teeth has been marred by the significant increase in the presence of white spot lesions (WSLs). These lesions are commonly observed on the labial surfaces of the maxillary incisors adjacent to the brackets, thus jeopardising the final aesthetic result of the treatment and having limited chances of improvement even after the orthodontic appliances are removed.1 The incidence and prevalence of WSLs during multibracketed fixed orthodontic treatment are relatively high with a wide range, and the problem is quite alarming for the orthodontists and patients.1 Patients with multibracketed fixed orthodontic appliances have been considered to be at moderate to high risk for caries and various preventive strategies have been examined to prevent the development of WSLs, among which topical fluorides have been studied widely and found to be efficacious in reducing the incidence of WSLs around the brackets.1 Among the various forms of topical fluorides studied, varnishes are deemed critical for preventing the WSL formation. The efficacy of topical fluoride varnishes has been established through multiple systematic reviews1 with a preventive fraction of about 43% and 37% in permanent and primary dentitions respectively, compared with that in the placebo or no treatment.