Effect of vitamin E supplementation on orthodontic tooth movement in Wistar rats

Abstract

Background: Tooth movement induced by the application of orthodontic force is facilitated by bone remodelling cells and chemical mediators. Vitamin E has anti-inflammatory properties, which helps in suppressing the damaging effects of oxygen free radicals in cells during bone formation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin E supplementation on orthodontic tooth movement in Wistar rats. Methods: Wistar rats (n=56) were divided into two groups. Group 1 served as the control groups, while group 2 was given vitamin E for 14 days before application of orthodontic force. Each group was divided into four subgroups (n=7), corresponding to the number of days orthodontic force lasted, i.e. 0, 1, 3, 7 days. At each of these four time points, distance measurements and quantity of osteoblasts-osteoclasts were measured in each rat. Results: Tooth movement distance was increased for group 2 than group 1 for all time intervals, but this difference was only statistically different on day 3 (p=0.001). For both groups, tooth movement was significantly different between each time interval in each group (p=0.041). The mean number of osteoblast cells was increased for group 2 compared to group 1 for all time intervals (p<0.05), but was not significant different between time intervals (p=0.897). The number of osteoclasts was not significantly different between groups, but it was statistically different between time intervals (p=0.004). Conclusion: Present outcomes demonstrate that vitamin E contributes to faster tooth movement compared to control group. It also stimulates more bone formation without reducing the bone resorption.