Oral hygiene status and occlusal characteristics of orthodontic patients at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Patients seeking orthodontic care are expected to maintain good oral hygiene status and there is still a debate as to whether occlusal characteristics are associated with oral hygiene status and invariably periodontal health. The aims of this study were to assess the pattern of oral hygiene status (OHS) of orthodontic patients at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria and to ascertain possible relationship between their OHS and occlusal characteristics. A prospective study of 178 consecutive orthodontic patients (44.4% males and 55.6% females) with mean age of 16.21 +/- 7.81 years seen in the hospital between January 2000 and September 2002 was done. Oral hygiene status was assessed using Greene and Vermillion simplified oral hygiene index while occlusal characteristics were assessed using Angle's classification of malocclusion and Jackson's method for overjet and overbite relationships. In all, 59.6%, 38.2% and 2.2% had good, fair and poor oral hygiene status respectively. Generally, no significant relationship was found between oral hygiene status and various occlusal features (P > 0.05). It was concluded that the patients had satisfactory oral hygiene status and the various occlusal features did not affect their oral hygiene status significantly.