Theoretical numerical modeling of the oxygen diffusion effects within the periodontal ligament for orthodontic tooth displacement

Orthodontic tooth movement results from alveolar bone remodelling around the tooth. With applied mechanical forces, the periodontal ligament and its vascularization are deformed, the blood flow changes and so the amount of oxygen import, provoking, through cell density variation, bone remodelling and tooth movement. A numerical finite element (FE) model is presented in which the amount of oxygen and the cells densities of osteoclasts and osteoblasts are deduced from the oxygen variation inside the deformed periodontal ligament, leading to bone remodelling. Predicting this evolution will help the orthodontists in their decision making for patient dependent treatments.