The effect of functional occlusal forces on orthodontic tooth movement and tissue recovery in rats

The influence of physiologic occlusal forces on tissue response to orthodontic tooth movement and its subsequent recovery was investigated in rats. The mandibular incisors were subjected to tipping and intrusive loads for 2 weeks. In 27 animals, the teeth remained in occlusion, while the incisors were shortened out of occlusion in 29. In each group, some rats were killed at the end of the tooth movement process, and the rest were kept alive for a 13-week recovery period. The subgroups were matched with corresponding controls. Tooth intrusion and eruption were monitored throughout the experiment; then histomorphometric and histopathologic evaluations were performed on the incisors and their periodontal tissues. Tooth movement was barely affected by the functional forces. However, immediately upon 2-week load application, damage to the pulp was more extensive in the occluding teeth; this might be due to the combined intrusive vectors of functional and mechanical loads. The effect of the physiologic function was expressed primarily during the recovery period, in which the eruptive function and distorted periodontal ligament space returned to normal significantly faster in the occluding teeth. This was also true for the healing of dental and periodontal lesions. The incidence of tooth resorption was also reduced. Normal occlusal function is imperative for rapid reconstitution of the damage caused by orthodontic forces.