The neglected adolescent mouth.

Many adolescent patients go through phases where oral hygiene and caries control lapse. In this case a young patient presented with a severely compromised mouth. Treatment was complicated by his belonging to a travelling family, and the fact that he was also undergoing orthodontic therapy. This study describes how suitable behaviour management techniques were used to motivate him to achieve control of caries and periodontal disease, and allow the orthodontic treatment to proceed.