Effect of applying intermittent force with and without vibration on orthodontic tooth movement.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether orthodontic tooth movement could be accelerated by applying an intermittent force protocol. It also examined the effect of applying additional vibrational forces on orthodontic tooth movement and root resorption rates.

Methods: This study included 24 patients (16 males and 8 females) who underwent orthodontic treatment involving first premolar extraction and distal movement of the canines in the maxilla. A Hycon device (Adenta GmbH, Gilching, Germany) was used for canine distalization in all patients. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: one group received 20 min of vibration per day using the AcceleDent device (OrthoAccel Technologies, Inc., Bellaire, TX, USA), while the other group received no vibration. In addition, a split-mouth design was used: an activation-only force protocol was applied on one side, and an intermittent activation-deactivation-activation (ADA) protocol was applied on the other. The duration required for complete canine tooth distalization on each side was calculated. In addition, the effect of vibration on the orthodontically induced root resorption was examined.

Results: The intermittent ADA protocol significantly accelerated orthodontic tooth movement compared to the activation-only protocol (p < 0.05). The application of additional vibration did not affect the orthodontic tooth movement rate (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Using a Hycon device and following an ADA protocol provided significantly faster canine distalization than the activation-only protocol (p < 0.05). This intermittent force method proved very effective in closing the spaces. However, vibration did not significantly affect the orthodontic tooth movement rate (p > 0.05).