Research in Tooth Movement Biology: The Current Status

The increased focus on the biological basis of orthodontics is expanding our knowledge and is augmenting our understanding of the clinical effects of mechanical forces on living tissues. This has led to the evolution of a well-defined technique-oriented profession into a comprehensive specialty, incorporating facets of all fields of medicine, emphasizing that live human beings are being treated, not dental typodonts. Research in the field of orthodontic tooth movement comprised a significant share among articles published in all orthodontic peer-reviewed journals in the past decade. This article provides an organized scheme for tooth movement research studies conducted during the past 5 years, divided into areas such as marker studies, root resorption, accelerating or decelerating tooth movement, and the expression of various molecules and cells in the process of mechanical force-induced tissue remodeling.