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Updated: Mar 12, 2026
Author Spotlight: Comparing Alveolar and Long Bone Remodeling to Explore OTM Model Potential
Published on: July 21, 2023
Screw-type device diameter and orthodontic loading influence adjacent bone remodeling
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of diameter and orthodontic loading of a screw-type implantable device on bone remodeling.
Materials And Methods:
Screw-shaped devices of four distinct diameters, 1.6, 2, 3, and 3.75 mm, were placed into edentulous sites in five skeletally mature beagle dogs (n = 14/dog) following premolar extraction. Using a split-mouth design, devices on one side were loaded using calibrated 2N coil springs. Epifluorescent bone labels were administered intravenous prior to sacrifice. Bone-implant sections (∼ 70 μm) were evaluated to quantify bone formation rate (BFR), and other histomorphometric variables were assessed in the implant supporting bone.
Results:
The mean BFR ranged from 10.93 percent per year to 38.91 percent per year. BFR in the bone adjacent to the device was lower for the loaded 1.6-mm screws when compared with the nonloaded 1.6-mm screws (P < .01) and the loaded 2.0-, 3.0-, and 3.75-mm diameter screws (P < .01). No significant differences in BFR were noted, regardless of loading condition, between the 2.0-, 3.0-, and 3.75-mm diameter screws.
Conclusions:
We detected a dramatic reduction in bone remodeling. Although orthodontic loading of 2N did not alter bone remodeling associated with screws with a 2.0-mm diameter or larger, it did decrease bone remodeling adjacent to a loaded 1.6-mm screw. The long-term effect of this diminished remodeling should be further investigated.
