Title

Colonization of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus around orthodontic ligation systems with or without antiseptic application

Authors

Shubham Deshmukh*, Archana Jatania, Aniruddha Mundhe, Rutuja Dalvi, Abhishek Kolhe & Shruti Jangwad

Affiliation

Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental College and Hospital and Postgraduate Research Institute, Pathri Road, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Shubham Deshmukh - E-mail: sdento2012@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9028200070
Archana Jatania - E-mail: ajatania8@gmail.com; Phone: +91 7719835493
Aniruddha Mundhe - E-mail: aniruddhamundhe140@gmail.com; Phone: +91 99754 33074
Rutuja Dalvi - E-mail: drrutuja.smilealign@gmail.com; Phone: +91 96649 80557
Abhishek Kolhe - E-mail: abhishekgkolhe@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9561451445
Shruti Jangwad - E-mail: shrutisjangwad323@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9284751606

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received September 1, 2026; Revised September 30, 2026; Accepted September 30, 2026, Published September 30, 2026
 

Abstract

The presence of acid producing oral microbes colonizing around the orthodontic attachments bonded on the tooth surface lead to enamel demineralization which often leads to alteration in the appearance of the enamel surface. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus colonization around 5 orthodontic ligation systems in 12 patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Five ligation systems were stainless steel ligature, Super-Slick elastomeric ring, Safe-T-Tie, Mini Stick and self ligating brackets. Plaque samples were collected after 21 days without chlorhexidine and again after 21 days of chlorhexidine use. Chlorhexidine significantly reduced cariogenic bacterial CFUs in all groups (p<0.05). Thus, data shows that self-ligating brackets, when combined with chlorhexidine mouthwash, may reduce biofilm accumulation and enamel demineralization risk during orthodontic therapy.

Keywords

Chlorhexidine (CHX), colony-forming units, Lactobacillus, orthodontic ligation systems, self-ligating brackets, Streptococcus mutans

Citation

Deshmukh et al. Bioinformation 22(9): 6057-6062 (2026)

Edited by

Vini Mehta

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.