Long-term benefits of orthodontic treatment on oral hygiene.

The purpose of this project was to determine whether orthodontic patients have better oral hygiene than dental patients who have not received orthodontic treatment. A random sample of 158 boys and girls ranging from 11 to 15 years of age were selected for this project. Seventy-four had been treated orthodontically and seventy-four had not had orthodontic treatment. Gingivitis and plaque indices were used to measure the patients' oral hygiene. The patients who had received orthodontic treatment displayed superior oral hygiene to those dental patients who had not received orthodontic treatment.