What’s new for the clinician – summaries of recently published papers (March 2025)

Abstract

Pain and discomfort are some of the common complications in orthodontic treatment. They are caused by irritation of the 
oral mucosa resulting from trauma and increased friction between tissues and brackets, wires and tubes. It has been 
recognised that there is a need for barrier materials to protect wounds from being irritated by these stimuli, to prevent 
secondary infection and to reduce the patient’s discomfort. Many types of barrier materials used to prevent irritation caused by fixed orthodontic treatment are commercially available. The most commonly used conventional orthodontic wound barrier material is orthodontic wax made from thermoplastic resin silicone. This product is a water insoluble solid material that has no odour and taste. A more recently developed material is the adhesive periodontal wound dressing Ora-Aid. This product is a self-adhesive oral dressing material to protect mouth sores. It acts as a buffer between orthodontic appliances and wound, protecting the wound from secondary infections. It supports wound healing by isolating the wound. It is a disposable material and it can stay in the mouth for a long time due to its adhesive feature. Bozkurt & Buyukbasaran (2024)1 reported on a study that sought to examine the effects of orthodontic wax and Oral Aid material on wound healing, duration in the mouth and pain relief and to evaluate the effect on the patient’s quality of life.