A Comparison between Osteotomy and Corticotomy-Assisted Tooth Movement

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Osteotomies and corticotomies are surgical procedures used in conjunction with orthodontic treatment.
• These procedures can influence bone remodeling processes around the teeth.
• Understanding these bone responses may lead to accelerated tooth movement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how osteotomies and corticotomies influence bone biology to speed up orthodontic tooth movement.
• To investigate the potential of creating a tooth-bearing transport disk for guided alveolar segment positioning.
• To examine the bone repair phases activated by corticotomy for enhanced orthodontic outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing segmental osteotomies to create a movable, tooth-bearing alveolar segment.
• Employing orthodontic appliances and archwires to distract and position the transported segment.
• Analyzing the bone's transition through demineralization, fibrous replacement, and mineralization phases following corticotomy.

Main Results:

• Segmental osteotomies can create a transport disk that is repositionable with orthodontic mechanics.
• Corticotomy into the marrow space initiates bone injury repair, accelerating bone turnover.
• A window of opportunity exists for tooth movement through less dense bone during the repair phases.

Conclusions:

• Combining osteotomies/corticotomies with orthodontics can accelerate tooth movement by manipulating bone turnover.
• Alveolar segments can be guided into desired positions using orthodontic mechanics after surgical manipulation.
• Future research aims to achieve similar bone responses with less invasive surgical interventions or non-surgical methods.