Ninety-eight oral photos, including 588 targeted gingivae, were captured from 25 patients admitted at three orthodontic dental clinics in Cheongju city, South Korea, between September 2018 and November 2022. A power analysis was performed using the G*Power software, version 3.1.9.2 (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany), using mean differences, with mean differences of 0.7% for gingivitis from a related study. An error probability of 0.05 and actual power of 0.95 were used. The number of subjects calculated through the G*Power software was 23. The number of subjects initially included in the study was 30, but in the process of evaluating the quality of the obtained photographs the final number of subjects was selected as 25 participants.
A dental hygienist captured all the photos. The patients were aged between 20 and 39 years. Gingivitis was considered the primary disease in this study. The inclusion criteria were those who had completed orthodontic treatment in their 20s and 30s, had undergone orthodontic treatment for at least six months, had received orthodontic treatment with fixed orthodontic devices, and had been diagnosed with gingivitis by a dentist during orthodontic treatment.
Patients were excluded from the study if they were aged 40 years or older, had systemic disease (such as diabetes and hypertension), had dental caries on the buccal smooth tooth surface, had undergone tooth extraction during orthodontic treatment, had noticeable discoloration of their teeth or had severe melanin pigmentation on the gingiva, or had gingiva that was dark red even though there was no inflammation. In addition, patients with abnormal anatomical structures due to periodontal disease were excluded. The details of exclusion criteria were as follows: subjects with a systemic disease within the past 6 months who are receiving continuous treatment, subjects with other diseases that cause inflammatory transformation of the gingiva, including oral cancer, or subjects taking antibiotics due to disease. Among patients aged ≥ 40 years, some patients with advanced periodontitis were included. Advanced periodontitis can cause alveolar bone loss and gingival recession. The size of the gingiva can be different depending on the participants’ oral condition due to the deformation of the gingiva; therefore, the size of the gingiva was not considered. None of the patients in this study had dental caries on smooth surfaces.
The IOPs used in the research analysis were received by one data organizer who attached a number to each photograph to prevent exposure to personal information and ensure the patients’ anonymity. Then the IOPs were prepared for analysis. The requirement for informed consent was waived because this was a retrospective study and all data were anonymized. We received an exemption for institutional review board review from the Bioethics Review Committee of Cheongju University (1041107-202212-HR-053-01).
A dental hygienist captured all the photos. The patients were aged between 20 and 39 years. Gingivitis was considered the primary disease in this study. The inclusion criteria were those who had completed orthodontic treatment in their 20s and 30s, had undergone orthodontic treatment for at least six months, had received orthodontic treatment with fixed orthodontic devices, and had been diagnosed with gingivitis by a dentist during orthodontic treatment.
Patients were excluded from the study if they were aged 40 years or older, had systemic disease (such as diabetes and hypertension), had dental caries on the buccal smooth tooth surface, had undergone tooth extraction during orthodontic treatment, had noticeable discoloration of their teeth or had severe melanin pigmentation on the gingiva, or had gingiva that was dark red even though there was no inflammation. In addition, patients with abnormal anatomical structures due to periodontal disease were excluded. The details of exclusion criteria were as follows: subjects with a systemic disease within the past 6 months who are receiving continuous treatment, subjects with other diseases that cause inflammatory transformation of the gingiva, including oral cancer, or subjects taking antibiotics due to disease. Among patients aged ≥ 40 years, some patients with advanced periodontitis were included. Advanced periodontitis can cause alveolar bone loss and gingival recession. The size of the gingiva can be different depending on the participants’ oral condition due to the deformation of the gingiva; therefore, the size of the gingiva was not considered. None of the patients in this study had dental caries on smooth surfaces.
The IOPs used in the research analysis were received by one data organizer who attached a number to each photograph to prevent exposure to personal information and ensure the patients’ anonymity. Then the IOPs were prepared for analysis. The requirement for informed consent was waived because this was a retrospective study and all data were anonymized. We received an exemption for institutional review board review from the Bioethics Review Committee of Cheongju University (1041107-202212-HR-053-01).
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