Effects of statins on bone remodeling and their potential applications in post-orthodontic relapse prevention: A review.

BACKGROUND

Statins are widely used lipid-lowering agents with pleiotropic effects that may influence bone remodeling. Their ability to stimulate osteoblastogenesis and inhibit osteoclastogenesis has generated interest in their potential role in reducing post-orthodontic relapse. This review evaluated the available evidence regarding the effects of statins on bone remodeling and their potential application in preventing orthodontic relapse.

HIGHLIGHT: An electronic search of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published up to April 2026. Sixteen studies were included, comprising 15 experimental animal studies and one clinical trial. Twelve studies reported a reduction in post-orthodontic relapse, whereas four demonstrated non-significant reductions despite favorable effects on bone remodeling. Simvastatin was the most extensively investigated statin, whereas atorvastatin and rosuvastatin were evaluated in fewer studies. Local administration, particularly through drug-delivery systems such as hydrogels, exosomes, and nanoemulsions, showed promising results for enhancing bone formation and reducing relapse.

CONCLUSION

Current evidence suggests that statins may have potential as adjunctive agents for preventing post-orthodontic relapse by modulating alveolar bone remodeling. However, the evidence remains preliminary because most studies were conducted in animal models and considerable heterogeneity existed in statin type, dosage, administration route, delivery system, and follow-up period. Well-designed clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy, optimal dosage, delivery method, and safety of local statin therapy before its routine clinical application.