Comparison of corticotomy-facilitated vs standard tooth-movement techniques in dogs with miniscrews as anchor units.

INTRODUCTION: One method used to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement is the corticotomy-facilitated (CF) technique. The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the effect of the CF technique on orthodontic tooth movement compared with the standard technique, and (2) explore the histologic basis of the difference between the 2 techniques.

METHODS: Six dogs, aged 6 to 9 months, were used in this study. Extraction of the maxillary second premolar and miniscrew placement were done bilaterally in the maxilla. On the right side, the corticotomy was performed. The first premolars were distalized against the miniscrews with nickel-titanium coil springs on both sides. One dog was killed each week after orthodontic force application.

RESULTS: The first premolar on the CF side moved significantly more rapidly (P <0.05). Histologic findings showed more active and extensive bone remodeling on both the compressive and tension sides in the CF group.

CONCLUSIONS: The CF technique doubled the rate of orthodontic tooth movement. Histologically, the more active and extensive bone remodeling in the CF group suggested that the acceleration of tooth movement associated with corticotomy is due to increased bone turnover and based on a regional acceleratory phenomenon.