COMPARATIVE STUDY ON PH ANALYSIS BETWEEN REMOVABLE AND FIXED ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES

ABSTRACT Introduction: A saliva of PH 7.0 usually indicates a healthy dental and periodontal situation. At this pH, there is a low incidence of dental decay combined and little or no calculus. Therefore, stable conditions should basically be found in this environment. Fixed orthodontic appliances can affect oral hygiene by influencing several parameters including the salivary PH and microbial count. Wearing fixed appliances can lead to various changes such as decrease in pH, flow rate and buffering capacity. The main aim of this study is to compare the PH of the salivary samples of both removable and fixed orthodontic appliance patients. Materials And Methods: For this study 10 salivary samples of fixed appliance patients and 10 salivary samples of removable appliance patients have been collected from the department of orthodontics at Saveetha dental college and hospitals and was analyzed in the research lab with the help of salivary analyzer. Results: According to the present study we have found a slight increase in salivary PH of fixed appliances compared to removable appliances. This may be due to accumulation of food particles in the appliance which forms a favorable environment for pathogens which leads to the decrease in salivary PH. Conclusion: In the present study we have found that the salivary PH of fixed appliance patients have increased PH compared to removable appliance patients Key words: Fixed appliance; Orthodontics; pH ;Innovative technology; Removable appliance.