Micro-Osteoperforations

Abstract

The researchers have tended to study on methods which will shorten orthodontic treatment periods due to the fact that orthodontic treatments are long-term treatments with increased side-effect potentials depending on the use of orthodontic force. There is a need for shortening orthodontic treatment time besides minimizing the side effects and achieving permanent results. Therefore, local or systemic application of various chemical agents, some physical-mechanic stimulus, and surgery-assisted methods are used. Surgically assisted methods have a longer clinical history with more predictable and consistent results among the acceleration methods of tooth movement. On the other hand, they include some complication risks due to the interventions as they are invasive methods, which is accepted as the disadvantage of these methods. Outstanding with its ease of implementation and repeatability, “micro-osteoperforation,” which is less invasive than other surgical methods, is an up-to-date technique. Animal studies show that micro-osteoperforations increase orthodontic tooth movement rate by enhancing the cellular response. These findings are also supported by a limited number of clinical studies. Although micro-osteoperforations were reported to be included in tooth acceleration techniques as a trustable and applicable method in clinical routine, issues such as application techniques, possible side effects, and combining with different mechanics should be evaluated with further clinical studies.