ABSTRACT Objectives To compare the effectiveness of metronidazole gel and mobile telephone short-message service (SMS) reminders on gingivitis in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods The trial was double blinded (patient and investigator), and only the clinical trial unit pharmacist was unblinded. Data were collected from patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment for at least 6 months. A total of 66 patients were randomly assigned to either 0.8% metronidazole gel (n = 22), SMS reminder and placebo gel (n = 22), or placebo (control) group only (n = 22). Gingival index (GI), bleeding index (BI), and orthodontic plaque index (OPI) were evaluated on several teeth at baseline (T 0 ) and after 4 weeks (T 1 ). Paired-sample t -tests were used to compare mean differences of indexes at T 0 and T 1 in the groups, and independent-sample t -tests were used to determine the effects of interventions compared with the controls. Results Data from 64 patients were analyzed; there were 2 dropouts. There were statistically significant ( P < .05) reductions in GI, BI, and OPI scores from T 0 to T 1 for each intervention. However, there were no significant differences between each intervention and the control group. There were no adverse effects. Conclusions The null hypothesis could not be rejected. There is no difference between interventions (application of 0.8% metronidazole gel and SMS reminder for reinforcing oral hygiene) in reducing gingival inflammation in orthodontic patients.

Objective: To determine the bond failure pattern and time to first bond failure at an orthodontic clinic. Materials and Methods: The study included 63 subjects meeting the study criteria. A total of 1074 brackets (Roth prescription 0.022 slot) were bonded to incisors, canines, and premolars using a no-mix adhesive (Unite, 3M Unitek). The survival and failure rates of the brackets were evaluated by tooth position in the dental arch, sagittal occlusal relationship, and gender of the patients. Overall bracket survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier test. Results: The total percentage of bond failure was 17.87%. The mean survival time for the sample was 235 days (SE = 32.27 days). Significantly higher failure rates were observed for posterior than anterior teeth ( P < .05) and in the Class II division 2 malocclusion group than other malocclusion groups ( P < .05). No difference was observed between dental arches or genders. However, in terms of survival time, the difference was marginally significant for gender ( P = .051) Conclusion: For 1074 brackets bonded with a no-mix adhesive system in 63 patients, the mean time until first bracket failure was 235 days. The overall failure rate of brackets was 17.87%.