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Tooth Movement

Department of Orthodontics, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Columbus, Ohio

This article reviews the evolution of concepts regarding the biological foundation of force-induced tooth movement. Nineteenth century hypotheses proposed two mechanisms: application of pressure and tension to the periodontal ligament (PDL), and bending of the alveolar bone. Histologic investigations in the early and middle years of the 20th century revealed that both phenomena actually occur concomitantly, and that cells, as well as extracellular components of the PDL and alveolar bone, participate in the response to applied mechanical forces, which ultimately results in remodeling activities.

Experiments with isolated cells in culture demonstrated that shape distortion might lead to cellular activation, either by opening plasma membrane ion channels, or by crystallizing cytoskeletal filaments. Mechanical distortion of collagenous matrices, mineralized or non-mineralized, may, on the other hand, evoke the development of bioelectric phenomena (stress-generated potentials and streaming potentials) that are capable of stimulating cells by altering the electric charge on their membrane or their fluid envelope. In intact animals, mechanical perturbations on the order of about 1 min/d are apparently sufficient to cause profound osteogenic responses, perhaps due to matrix proteoglycan-related "strain memory".

Enzymatically isolated human PDL cells respond biochemically to mechanical and chemical signals. The latter include endocrines, autocrines, and paracrines. Histochemical and immunohistochemical studies showed that during the early places of tooth movement, PDL fluids are shifted, and cells and matrix are distorted. Vasoactive neurotransmitters are released from periodontal nerve terminals, causing leukocytes to migrate out of adjacent capillaries. Cytokines and growth factors are secreted by these cells, stimulating PDL cells and alveolar bone lining cells to remodel their related matrices. This remodeling activity facilitates movement of teeth into areas in which bone had been resorbed.

This emerging information suggests that in the living mammal, many cell types are involved in the biological response to applied mechanical stress to teeth, and thereby to bone. Essentially, cells of the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems become involved in the activation and response of PDL and alveolar bone cells to applied stresses. This fact implies that research in the area of the biological response to force application to teeth should be sufficiently broad to include explorations of possible associations between physical, cellular, and molecular phenomena. The goals of this investigative field should continue to expound on fundamental principles, particularly on extrapolating new findings to the clinical environment, where millions of patients are subjected annually to applications of mechanical forces to their teeth for long periods of time in an effort to improve their position in the oral cavity. Recently developed research tools such as cell culture techniques and immunologic probes, are the best hope for enhancing this development.

Key Words: orthodontic forces • distortion of cells and matrix • neurotransmitters • cytokines • synergism.

Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, Vol. 2, No. 4, 411-450 (1991)
DOI: 10.1177/10454411910020040101


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