ObjectiveTo evaluate the role of the combined periodontic-orthodontic treatment in the esthetic reconstruction of the anterior teeth area following periodontitis.MethodsThirteen adult patients with anterior teeth displacements were treated. The probing pocket depth (PD; 102 teeth, 612 sites), bleeding on probing (102 teeth, 204 sites), papilla index (PI; 128 papillae), and papillary height (PH; 128 papillae) of each patient were assessed at baseline, 3 months after the initial therapy, and the end of the orthodontic treatment. Non-parametric and paired-sample t tests were carried out for the statistical analysis of the data.ResultsThree months after initial therapy, the sites with PD≤3 mm accounted for 79.58% (487/612) of the observed teeth, and 88.73% (181/204) of the buccal and lingual sites of the teeth showed negative bleeding on probing. These findings were better than those at baseline [26.31% (161/612) and 22.06% (45/204), respectively] (P0.05). Prior to orthodontic treatment, the levels of the PI of 8 and 21 papillae were Ⅲ and Ⅱ, respectively, among the 128 observed papillae. After the orthodontic treatment, 51 papillae were at level Ⅲ and 68 papillae were at level Ⅱ. The PH of the 102 papillae was 2.84 mm±0.62 mm after orthodontic treatment. This result indicated significant difference compared with that of pre-orthodontic treatment (1.69 mm±0.57 mm) (PConclusionAfter initial therapy, moderate orthodontic teeth movements may reconstruct the interproximal soft tissue, with esthetic improvement of the papillary level and resolution of the periodontal defects.
