Root resorption in maxillary central incisors following active orthodontic treatment

The purpose of this study was to determine if apical root resorption associated with orthodontic treatment continues after the termination of active treatment (that is, the removal of fixed appliances). A sample of 45 subjects who had experienced root resorption during treatment was selected from the orthodontic clinic at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The length of the maxillary central incisors was measured from lateral cephalometric radiograms taken before treatment, after active treatment, and after retention. From these data, the resorption occurring during and after active treatment was calculated. The mean amount of root resorption during active treatment was 2.93 mm. The mean amount of root resorption during the posttreatment period was 0.1 mm. There was a statistical difference between these two means using the Student's t test at the 0.05 level of significance. The reliability coefficient comparing the first tracings and measurements in the 19 cases that were retraced and remeasured was r = 0.993. The data from this radiographic study support the hypothesis that root resorption associated with orthodontic treatment ceases with the termination of active treatment. There was also evidence to suggest that when posttreatment root resorption does occur, it is not necessarily associated with large amounts of root resorption during the active treatment period. It is more likely associated with other factors, such as traumatic occlusion and active force-delivering retainers.