Interest in orthodontic tooth alignment in adult patients affected by periodontitis: A questionnaire‐based cross‐sectional pilot study

BACKGROUND: Orthodontic treatment can successfully align pathologically migrated teeth and lead to improvement of periodontal stability in patients with periodontitis. Periodontic-orthodontic approaches have gained increasing attention in the past years. Here, we investigated the interest of adults affected by chronic periodontitis in undergoing orthodontic treatment as well as patient-related and tooth-related influence factors. METHODS: Periodontal and orthodontic measurements/indices were taken from 115 adult patients with moderate-to-severe periodontitis. The study participants answered a questionnaire investigating patient demographics, quality of life aspects, and their interest in undergoing orthodontic treatment. Correlations between clinical data, questionnaire responses, and this interest were analyzed by means of an age- and sex-adjusted multiple regression model. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the participants were interested in orthodontic therapy and indicated long-term healthy and esthetically appealing teeth as their main motives. A significant correlation was found between subjectively felt impaired dental esthetics and an interest in orthodontic treatment. However, there were no correlations with the severity of periodontitis, tooth alignment, or patient demographics, including sex. Older patients were significantly more often interested in orthodontic treatment. Most participants had never been provided with information about orthodontic treatment options for adults. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable number of adult patients with periodontitis were interested in orthodontics to improve tooth alignment. However, severity of periodontitis and tooth misalignment or demographic factors may not be indicative thereof. Therefore, dental practitioners need to be aware of patients wishing to align their teeth and to provide them with the relevant information and, if appropriate, enable interdisciplinary treatment planning.