Shankarappa S, Burk JT, Subbaiah P, Rao RN, Doddawad VG. White spot lesions in fixed orthodontic treatment: Etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and future research perspectives.
J Orthod Sci 2024;
13:21. [PMID:
38784071 PMCID:
PMC11114457 DOI:
10.4103/jos.jos_205_23]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
White spot lesions (WSLs) refer to localized areas of hypo-mineralization limited to the enamel of the teeth surface, which is noticeable clinically to the naked eye on drying of the teeth. During fixed orthodontic treatment, it is very hard for the patient to maintain excellent oral hygiene as the brackets, bands, wires, elastics, and other appliances and attachments worn intra-orally provide a platform for food retention, plaque formation, and then colonization by acidogenic bacteria like Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus. This review aims to elaborate and focus on etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment aspect, and future scope for research about the WSLs occurring due to fixed orthodontic treatment.
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