Objective To explore the effect of targeted oral nursing on periodontal health in patients undergoing orthodontics treatment. Methods A total of 70 patients undergoing orthodontics treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from December 2023 to December 2024 were selected as the research subjects, and they were divided into the control group and the observation group by the random number table method, with 35 patients in each group. The control group received conventional nursing, and the observation group received targeted oral nursing on the basis of conventional nursing. The gingivitis rate, periodontal health, levels of inflammatory factors in gingival crevicular fluid, and nursing compliance were compared between the two groups. Results The incidence of gingivitis in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P <0.05). The PLI, GI and SBI of the observation group at 3 and 6 months after nursing were lower than those of the control group (P <0.05). The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the observation group at 3 and 6 months after nursing were lower than those of the control group (P <0.05). The nursing compliance scores of the observation group at 3 and 6 months after nursing were higher than those of the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion The application of targeted oral nursing intervention can effectively improve the periodontal health of orthodontics patients, reduce the incidence of gingivitis and the levels of inflammatory factors in gingival crevicular fluid, and enhance patients' nursing compliance.