The Effect of High-Frequency Vibration on Tooth Movement and Alveolar Bone in Non-Growing Skeletal Class II High Angle Orthodontic Patients: Case Series

Utilization of Low-Magnitude High-Frequency Vibration (LMHFV) as an Aid in Treating Peri-Implantitis: Case Presentations

Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory process initiating in the soft tissue and then progressing to the hard tissue surrounding dental implants leading to loss of osseous support and potential loss of the implant if not identified early in the process. This process initiates in the soft tissue, which become inflamed spreading to the underlying bone leading to decreases in bone density with subsequent crestal resorption and thread exposure. In the absence of treatment of the peri-implantitis, the bone loss at the osseous implant interface progresses with inflammatory mediated decrease in the bone density that moves apically, eventually leading to mobility of the implant and its failure. Low-magnitude high-frequency vibration (LMHFV) has been shown to improve bone density, stimulate osteoblastic activity, and arrest progression of peri-implantitis with improvement of the bone or graft around the affected implant with or without surgery as part of the treatment. Two cases are presented using LMHFV to augment treatment.

Non-surgical Treatment of a Late Adolescent Patient with Skeletal Class II Malocclusion Using Clear Aligners: A Case Report

Background/Introduction:

There are a variety of treatment modalities for orthodontic treatment of patients with skeletal Class II malocclusions in late adolescence. These treatment modalities may include surgical intervention, camouflage treatment, functional appliances, extraction of teeth, and/or Class II elastics mechanics. Most Class II mechanics produce retroclination of the upper incisors and proclination of lower incisors. These dentoalveolar effects limit the possibility for forward mandibular projection/growth, hence minimizing skeletal improvement.

Case Presentation:

To present a unique case report that was treated with a new perspective in maximizing skeletal improvement in a late adolescent male with skeletal Class II malocclusion and deep overbite.

A 15-year-old male presented with a skeletal Class II pattern due to mandibular retrognathism was treated with non-extraction, non-surgical technique using clear aligners in two phases. Phase 1 was designed to decompensate the compensated inclination of his anterior teeth, and phase II was planned to correct his skeletal and dental Class II malocclusion/mal relation. Results: Maxillary incisors decompensation of the inclination of the upper and lower incisors and posterior teeth intrusion allowed forward mandibular projection that led to skeletal and dental correction of his malocclusion and improvement of his chin forward projection.

Conclusion:

This case report shows successful treatment of a Class II malocclusion in alate adolescent male. This method could perhaps be used for similar cases, avoiding the need to extract teeth or include surgical intervention.

Mechanical vibration as an adjunct to clear aligner treatment for accelerating tooth movement: A review

Many patients, particularly adults, may prefer clear aligner treatment due to its esthetics and ease of use. Some studies have shown that mechanical vibration can affect the rate of tooth movement and other aspects of orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this systematic review was to substantiate the effects of vibration as an adjunct to clear aligner treatment. A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and Scopus and also hand searching of reference lists was conducted for finding published studies up to March 2021. Two authors reviewed the titles and abstracts independently to select relevant studies and the full texts where there was some skepticism. Seven papers were included in this study following removing duplicates and irrelevant studies, four of which were randomized controlled trial and three were retrospective studies. In the majority of studies, High-Frequency Vibration (HFV) has shown to be effective in accelerating tooth movement and reducing the exchange interval of aligners. Little data have advocated that HFV can increase bone density, reduce pain or root resorption. It seems that HFV is more effective than low frequency vibration in patients treated with clear aligners. Based on a low level of certainty, HFV can increase the rate of tooth movement and decrease the exchange interval of clear aligners. Further investigation is necessary to clarify the effects of vibration on pain and discomfort, bone density, and root resorption.

Bone permeability and mechanotransduction: Some current insights into the function of the lacunar-canalicular network

Lacunar-canalicular (LC) permeability involves the passage of fluids, nutrients, oxygen, ions, and signalling molecules through bone tissue, facilitating the maintenance of bone vitality and function and responses to various physiological conditions and diseases. LC permeability and fluid flow-shear stress/drag force play important roles in mechanotransduction in bone tissue by inducing mechanical stimuli in osteocytes, modulating cellular functions, and determining bone adaptation. Alterations in LC structure may therefore influence the fluid flow pattern through the LC network, thereby affecting the ability of osteocytes to sense and translate mechanical signals and possibly contributing to bone remodelling. Several bone-health conditions are associated with changes in LC structure and function and may affect mechanotransduction and responses, although the mechanisms underlying these associations are still not fully understood. In this review, recent studies of LC networks, their formation and transfer mechanical stimuli, and changes in structure, functional permeability, and mechanotransduction that result from age, pathology, and mechanical loading are discussed. Additionally, applications of vibration and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in bone healthcare and regeneration fields are also presented.

Factors Influencing Patient Compliance during Clear Aligner Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Compliance is highly relevant during clear aligner therapy (CAT). In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed compliance and associated covariates in a large cohort of CAT patients. A comprehensive sample of 2644 patients (75.0% females, 25.0% males, age range 18–64 years, median 27 years), all receiving CAT with PlusDental (Berlin, Germany) finished in 2019, was analyzed. Covariates included demographic ones (age, gender) as well as self-reported questionnaire-obtained ones (satisfaction with ones’ smile prior treatment, the experience of previous orthodontic therapy). The primary outcome was compliance: Based on patients’ consistent use of the mobile application for self-report and aligner wear time of ≥22 h, patients were classified as fully compliant, fairly compliant, or poorly compliant. Chi-square test was used to compare compliance in different subgroups. A total of 953/2644 (36.0%) of patients showed full compliance, 1012/2644 (38.3%) fair compliance, and 679/2644 (25.7%) poor compliance. Males were significantly more compliant than females (p = 0.000014), as were patients without previous orthodontic treatment (p = 0.023). Age and self-perceived satisfaction with ones’ smile prior to treatment were not sufficiently associated with compliance (p > 0.05). Our findings could be used to guide practitioners towards limitedly compliant individuals, allowing early intervention.