P.M. Cattaneo, M. Dalstra (Denmark), F. Beckmann (Germany), and B. Melsen (Denmark)
Bone remodelling, orthodontics, dental implant,histomorphometry, microtomography, FE analysis
Orthodontic tooth movement is generally associated with modelling and remodelling of the alveolar bone. These tissue reactions have been ascribed to mechanical adaptation. To further our understanding of these processes, an animal experiment was designed in which dental implants, subjected to an orthodontic loading regime, were used to invoke alveolar bone remodelling. Sixteen dental implants were inserted in the jaws of four macaca monkeys. Following sacrifice, the jaw segments were harvested and scanned using a microtomograph (CT) with a synchrotron source. Based on these CT scans, case-specific finite element models were used to simulate in-vivo loading. Subsequently, the samples were prepared for histomorphometrical analysis and the bone dynamics parameters were measured. The CT-scans revealed newly formed bone around the implants, both as an encapsulating cortical shell and a supporting trabecular network. This adaptation is partly reflected in the load transfer from implant to bone. However, only trend-like relations were found between the calculated stresses and strains and the (re)modelling parameters, suggesting that individual morphological features and functional loading of the bone also play a significant role. By integrating different analysis techniques to evaluate bone (re)modelling around orthodontically loaded implants, this study has demonstrated the complexity of alveolar adaptation to orthodontic loading.
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