Abstract
We focus on the plaque control status of a child male, 2 years and 11 months old at the time of initial examination, for about 15 years until the age of 18 years, and report on his mental growth process and changes in plaque control. At the initial visit, plaque control was poor, with total number of decayed and filled teeth: 8 and multiple ICDAS code 3-4 fossae. He had sweets within reach at all times and ate them when he wanted, and he regularly drank cola during meals. One month after tooth brushing instruction to the mother, there was a marked improvement in his oral hygiene. The mother requested remineralization therapy. After explaining the harmful effects of pacifier use, the patient reported that he was able to stop using the pacifier 3 months later. 7 months later, his plaque control record (PCR) decreased to 10%, and the open bite observed at the initial visit also improved. Therefore, the patient was transitioned to maintenances with regular PMTC. After puberty, the patient stopped talking to his mother but continued to listen to the dental hygienist, but a permeation image (XR3) extending into dentin was observed on the proximal adjacent surface of #46. We recommended that he refrain from cutting intervention and instead focus on lifestyle improvement, with PMTC visits every 4 months, fluoride rinsing, and flossing. This lifestyle continued, and even when he temporarily stopped attending school in his second year of junior high school, he continued to take fluoride rinses and floss before bedtime. When we told him that he would have to have his teeth shaved at the observation site if he did not change his lifestyle, the PCR value decreased at the end of him first year of high school. We suggested that the patient be followed up with less cutting intervention, beginning with poor plaque control in early childhood, and he continued to visit the dentist for PMTC throughout adolescence. This is a report on an observed case of plaque control condition that experienced several ups and downs during the process of mental growth.
