Does the center of resistance depend on the direction of tooth movement?

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to compare the locations of the centers of resistance (CRes) in the buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) directions of the mandibular central incisors of 6 dogs.MethodsBased on microcomputed tomography images of the teeth and their supporting tissues, solid models were used to build finite element models.ResultsThe CRes locations for the 6 specimens were determined for displacements in the BL and MD directions with finite element calculations. Measured from the alveolar crest, the BL and MD locations were 43% to 51% and 31% to 43% of root length, respectively. Their average locations, 46.2% and 38.3%, were statistically different at the 95% CI.ConclusionsThe CRes location for BL tooth movement is significantly more apical than its MD counterpart.