Comparison of Osteoclast Count and Amount of Orthodontic Tooth Movement in Flap Corticotomy and Flapless Bur Decortication: A Preclinical Study on Rats

Abstract

Background: Flapless bur decortication is a minimally invasive approach that can be performed as an adjunct to orthodontic treatment to expedite tooth movement. Objective: The aim of our study was to compare amount of orthodontic tooth movement and osteoclast count in flap corticotomy and flapless bur decortication using 20 cN force in rats. Methodology: The study was performed at animal house, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore after ethical approval from institutional review board. A total of 36 male, 10-12 weeks old, (200±20 gm) Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided in three groups: (1) appliance only (control, n = 12), (2) flap corticotomy (FC) with appliance (n = 12), (3) flapless bur decortication (FLBD) with appliance (n = 12). Rats were euthanized at 14 days. Initial and final tooth movement were recorded using digital caliper. Osteoclast count was performed using hematoxylin-and-eosin staining method. Results: The amount of orthodontic tooth movement and osteoclast count were significantly higher in flap corticotomy and flapless bur decortication groups than control (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in mean tooth movement (P = 0.99) and mean osteoclast count (P=0.98) between flap corticotomy and flapless bur decortication. Conclusion: Within the limit of current study, flap corticotomy and flapless bur decortication did not show a significant difference in the amount of orthodontic tooth movement and osteoclast which suggest that flapless bur decortication can be used to accelerate tooth movement.