The effect of combined corticotomy and low level laser therapy on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement: split mouth randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of corticotomy and Low-Level Laser Therapy(LLLT) on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement. METHODS: A randomized split-mouth design for 16 female patients compared the rate of maxillary canine retraction using corticotomy combined with LLLT versus corticotomy only. The device used in the present study was an In-Ga-As semiconductor diode laser emitting at 940 nm (IR) with these parameters: 0.5 W/ cm2 power density, 5 J/cm2 Fluence, CW, 240 sec time irradiation, weekly for the first month and twice monthly for the next three months. Assessment of the rate of canine retraction was carried out via a series of dental models. RESULTS: A non-significant statistical rate of canine retraction was achieved by LLLT combined to corticotomy compared with the corticotomy technique alone. CONCLUSION: Low-Level Laser Therapy combined to corticotomy could not achieve a higher rate of canine retraction compared to the golden standard corticotomy technique alone. No long-term adverse effects on the alveolar mucosa were detected following both techniques.

Corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics using piezosurgery versus rotary instruments: an experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics (CFO) using piezosurgery versus conventional rotary instruments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten healthy adult male mongrel dogs of comparable age with a complete set of permanent dentition with average weights between 13-17 kilograms were used. CFO using conventional rotary instruments versus piezosurgery was performed on each dog in a split mouth design. For every dog, mandibular 2nd premolar retraction on each side was attempted after extracting 3rd premolars followed by corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics using conventional rotary surgical burs on the left side and an ultrasonic piezosurgery system on the right side of the same animal. Intraoral measurements of the rate of tooth movement were taken with a sliding caliper. Measurements were performed by the same operator at the time of surgery (appliance delivery) and every month for six months. The dogs were sacrificed after six months from initiation of tooth movement to evaluate the amount of tooth movement for both conventional rotary and piezosurgery corticotomy techniques. RESULTS: A statistically significantly higher mean amount of tooth movement for conventional rotary instrument versus the piezosurgery corticotomy technique was observed at all time intervals. CONCLUSIONS: Tooth movement was 1.6 times faster when CFO was done using conventional rotary instruments as compared to a piezosurgery device.