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Published on: April 15, 2021
Effects of aging on RANKL and OPG levels in gingival crevicular fluid during orthodontic tooth movement
K Kawasaki1, T Takahashi, M Yamaguchi
1Department of Orthodontics, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Chiba, Japan.
Objectives:
To compare the levels of the receptor activator of NFkB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic tooth movement in juvenile and adult patients.
Design:
Fifteen juveniles and 15 adults served as subjects. GCF was collected from the distal cervical margins of the experimental and control teeth at 0, 1, 24, and 168 h after application of a retracting force. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to determine RANKL and OPG levels in the GCF samples.
Results:
The amount of tooth movement for juveniles was larger than for adults after 168 h. Further, after 24 h RANKL levels were increased and those of OPG decreased in GCF samples from the compression side during orthodontic tooth movement in both juveniles and adults. The RANKL/OPG ratio in GCF from adult patients was lower than that in the juvenile patient samples.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that the age-related decrease in amount of tooth movement may be related to a decrease in RANKL/OPG ratio in GCF during the early stages of orthodontic tooth movement.
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