Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of fixed orthodontic treatment on periodontal parameters in periodontally compromised adult orthodontic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Thirty-six periodontally compromised adult patients (mean age: 29.67 ± 4.8 years) were randomly allocated to either test (perio-ortho) or control group (perio). After periodontal stabilization in both groups, orthodontic treatment was started in the test group, whereas the control group remained on periodontal maintenance only. Evaluation and comparison of clinical parameters (plaque index [PI]; gingival index [GI]; bleeding on probing [BOP]; probing depth [PD]; clinical attachment level [CAL]) of both groups was assessed at three time intervals: T0 (base line), T1 (at start of orthodontic treatment), and T2 (1 year after start of orthodontic treatment). Radiological parameters (alveolar bone levels [ABL]) were recorded using CBCT at T1 and T2. RESULTS: Intragroup analysis showed statistically significant improvement in all clinical and radiological periodontal parameters in both groups (P ≤ .05). Intergroup comparison revealed improvement in the periodontal parameters was not statistically significant between the groups (P ≥ .05). Subgroup analysis showed reduction in the number of moderate and severe periodontitis sites in both groups with significant more gains in ABL in the test group compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontic treatment after periodontal stabilization does not have any detrimental effect on periodontal health in adult periodontally compromised orthodontic patients and may add to the benefits achieved by periodontal treatment alone.