Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 15, 2025
Studying Orthodontic Tooth Movement in Mice
Published on: August 2, 2024
Microtomographic analysis of the effect of sodium alendronate on orthodontic movement in rats
Luiza Lassi de Araújo Lopes1, Paulo Goberlânio de Barros Silva1, Juliana Ximenes Damasceno1
1Department of Dentistry, Christus University Center, Fortaleza, Brazil.
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of sodium alendronate on orthodontic tooth movement in rats using microtomographic analysis.
Settings And Sample Population:
Thirty male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into three groups of 10 rats and administered saline (control), 1 mg/kg sodium alendronate or 6 mg/kg sodium alendronate, respectively.
Materials And Methods:
The drug was administered once per week for 5 weeks by gavage. Orthodontic movement was induced during the last 2 weeks of medication administration by inserting a closed nickel-titanium spring between the left upper first molar and central incisors. The opposite side served as the control. Tooth movement and bone trabeculation in the furcation region were evaluated by microtomographic analysis in the first (moved) and third (static) molars. The data were subjected to one-way or two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni test (P < .05).
Results:
The microtomographic images of the group that received 6 mg/kg sodium alendronate demonstrated significantly less tooth movement (P = .048), less space between the trabeculae (P = .031) and greater number of bone trabeculae (P = .033) compared to the other groups. There were no statistically significant differences in bone volume and mean trabecular thickness between the three groups. The static teeth did not show the same alterations (P > .05).
Conclusion:
Sodium alendronate treatment reduced tooth movement in rats.
