Vitamin D as an adjunctive therapy in orthodontics: Impact on alveolar bone and root resorption in male rats.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of vitamin D (1,25VitD3) and orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) on alveolar bone, tooth movement type, and root structure.

DESIGN

Sprague Dawley rats (n = 32) were divided into four groups (n = 8 per group): control gavage (CG), experimental gavage (EG), control injection (CI), and experimental injection (EI). OTM was induced using a NiTi spring. Micro-CT scans were performed at 5 time points: T0 (before 1,25VitD3 administration), T1 (OTM initiation), T2 (OTM completion), T3 (7 days post-OTM), T4 (30 days post-OTM) to measure alveolar bone height and tooth tipping. Root resorption was evaluated histologically.

RESULTS

A significant decrease in buccal alveolar height was observed during and after OTM for 1,25VitD3 groups. Lingual alveolar bone decreased throughout the whole experiment for CI and EI, while it decreased only during OTM for EG. A significant increase in mesial tipping was observed between T0 and T2 for all groups. Root resorption was significantly higher for the OTM side than the control side for all groups (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Alveolar bone height decreased with OTM across all dental surfaces, with 1,25VitD3 enhancing this reduction at the buccal and lingual sites. The OTM also lead to significant mesial tipping and root resorption, which were not affected by 1,25VitD3.