Caries risk and orthodontic treatment.

It is now established that orthodontic treatment increases the risk of carious lesions, with consequent harm to the patient and a high risk of compromising treatment outcome. This risk is related to the appliances, which increase the number of sites where plaque can accumulate as well as to changes in the bacterial flora and the age of the patient. A thorough evaluation of the risk of caries is therefore needed before any appliance is put in place and further evaluations should then be performed regularly throughout the course of treatment.