Objective To explore the effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on periodontal health status and psychological state of orthodontic patients. Methods A total of 50 orthodontic patients admitted to Qingyuan People's Hospital from July 2023 to May 2025 were selected, and they were divided into the control group and the observation group by the random number table method, with 25 patients in each group. The control group received conventional nursing intervention, and the observation group received comprehensive nursing intervention. The periodontal health status, psychological state, cosmetic satisfaction and compliance were compared between the two groups. Results The levels of PD, SBI and PLI in the observation group after intervention were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The scores of SAS and SDS in the observation group after intervention were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The cosmetic satisfaction rate of the observation group (96.00%) was higher than that of the control group (72.00%) (P<0.05). The compliance rate of the observation group (96.00%) was higher than that of the control group (76.00%) (P<0.05). Conclusion Comprehensive nursing intervention can effectively improve the periodontal health status and psychological state of orthodontic patients, and enhance their cosmetic satisfaction and compliance.