Frequency of Pathogenic Microorganisms in Removable Orthodontic Appliances and Oral Mucosa in Children

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida species in removable orthodontic appliances (ROA) and the support oral mucosa in children. Study design: The study participants comprised 55 patients aged 6–12 years requiring ROA. The samples of biofilm colonization from the support oral mucosa and the ROA were taken prior to the use of the ROA (T0) and 4 weeks (T1) after ROA placement. The biofilm samples were seeded on chromogenic culture plates and incubated for 24–48 h. Results: The microbial species evaluated were not present in either the support oral mucosa nor in the ROA at T0. After 4 weeks, P. aeruginosa was found in the support oral mucosa with a frequency of 60%, Candida spp. with 30.9% and S. aureus with 89.09%; in the ROA, P. aeruginosa with 67.7%, Candida spp. with 32.7%, while S. aureus with 90.9%. In the ROA were found C. glabrata in 15 cases, C. albicans in 14 cases, C. tropicalis in two cases, and C. krusei in one case. In the oral mucosa there were 10 cases of C. glabrata, 14 cases of C. albicans, one case of C. tropicalis, and 0 cases of C. krusei. Conclusions: The frequency of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and Candida spp. increased after the orthodontic treatment in either the ROA and or in the support oral mucosa. There is a direct relation between the use of the ROA and the increase of periodontal-pathogenic microorganisms.

The effect of orthodontic appliances on the Oral Candida colonisation: a systematic review

“…This was confirmed by the salivary results (p < 0.001) of Arab et al 8 and by a plaque analysis (p < 0.05) conducted by Shukla et al 22 Zheng et al 21 also reported a significant increase of Candida counts (p < 0.001) in gargled samples, finding a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of Candida carriers after 2 months of FOA, compared to pre-treatment. Different results were reported by Lee et al 16 and Grzegocka et al, 23 who determined a non-significant increase of Candida, after analysing saliva samples. In addition, Soler et al 24 found no significant differences at the vestibular level, while Kouvelis et al 27 reported that Candida was not identified in any sample before and after 4 weeks of FOA.…”

“…Of the 16 included studies, all were prospective in nature and included four reports which described the changes in Candida in patients treated using a ROA 13,17,20,26 and nine studies which described those treated with FOA. 8,[14][15][16][21][22][23][24]27 Three studies analysed and compared treated and non-treated patients, two of which involved a ROA 17,18 and one used FOA 25 . An additional untreated group served as a control.…”

“…One study 20 reported the mid-term effects of ROA treatment and found a significant increase (p < 0.001) in the Candida counts in saliva after 3 months. Seven studies 8,14,16,[21][22][23]27 analysed the mid-term effects after FOA placement. Hägg et al 14 found a significant increase in candida on the dorsum of the tongue, but not in saliva and plaque samples.…”

Novel Options to Counteract Oral Biofilm Formation: In Vitro Evidence

“…Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) are opportunistic pathogens responsible of different clinical conditions involving the oral cavity [9]. Due to their strong ability to adhere and persist on abiotic and biotic surfaces, they often cause biofilm-associated infections, which are clinically relevant and difficult-to-treat [10].…”

What Are the Cleaning and Disinfection Methods for Acrylic Orthodontic Removable Appliance? A Systematic Review

“…[14]. Recently, Rodriguez-Renteria et al [15] investigated after 4 weeks the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida species on removable orthodontic appliances and found that, of the 55 removable orthodontic appliances studies, Staphylococcus aureus was present on 90.9%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa on 67.7% and Candida species on 32.7% of the appliances. Interestingly, these microorganisms were also found in the support oral mucosa of the 55 children (respectively 89.09%; 60%; 30.9%).…”