Assessment of Root Resorption during Corticotomy Assisted Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Introduction: Corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics provides a means for rapidly moving teeth purportedly with little damage to the periodontium and with reduced treatment duration. Our aim was to enhance the orthodontic tooth movement by reducing the cortical bone layer. The purpose of this study is to assess the amount of root resorption during corticotomy assisted enmasse retraction. Material and Method: 8 patients with angles class I and class II malocclusion with maxillary crowding requiring maxillary first premolar extraction were selected for the study. Full thickness flaps were raised. Corticotomy was performed in the maxillary anterior segment along with undermining of cortical bone distal to canine. Synthetic graft was placed and flap was repositioned with the help of sutures. Orthodontic force was applied 2 weeks later. Enmasse retaction was done using active tie-backs. Results: There was minimal root resorption during corticotomy assisted orthodontic tooth movement. Conclusion: CAOT is a promising technique that has many applications in the orthodontic treatment of adults because it helps to overcome many of the current limitations of this treatment, including lengthy duration, potential for periodontal complications, lack of growth and the limited envelope of tooth movement.