Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Predictability of tooth displacement in response to specific orthodontic load system directly links to the quality and effectiveness of the treatment. The key questions are how the tooth’s environment changes in response to the orthodontic load and how the biological tissues respond clinically. The objectives of this study are to determine the mechanical environment (ME) changes and to quantify the biological tissues’ response. Eighteen (18) patients who needed maxillary bilateral canine retractions were involved in the study. A method was developed to quantify the 3D load systems on the canine, which allowed the treatment strategies to be customized in terms of orthodontic loading systems to meet either translation (TR) or controlled tipping (CT) requirement. Dental casts were made before and after each treatment interval, and the Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans were taken prior to and following the entire treatment for control of treatment strategy and post treatment evaluations. Finite element method (FEM) was applied to calculate the location of center of resistance (CRes) for tooth movement control. The location and variation of CRes were recorded and compared with previous studies. A quick CRes assessment method that locates CRes by calculating the centroid of the contact surface (CCS) and the centroid of the projection of root surface (CPCS) in certain direction was also tested and compared with the results from FEM. Customized T-loop spring, a kind of orthodontic appliance, was designed, fabricated, and calibrated on a load measuring system to ensure that the load met the clinician’s prescription. The treatment outcomes in terms of tooth displacement and root resorption characterized by the changes of tooth length and volume as well as the bone mineral density (BMD) represented by the Hounsfield units (HU) change were recorded and analyzed. The ME in terms of stress were also calculated by using FEM. Paired t-test and mixed model ANOVA methods were used to analyze the relationships between the mechanical inputs (quantified and customized load, and corresponding stress) and clinical outcomes (root resorption and BMD change). It was found that the overall root resorption is not significant for canine retraction, but apical root resorption does occur, meaning that orthodontic load is not a sufficient factor. Also, it was observed that HU distribution changed significantly in both root and alveolar bone. The maximum reduction was on the coronal level in the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement in root, and in the direction of the tooth movement at the coronal level in bone. In addition, it was determined that the locations of the CRes in the MD and BL directions were significantly different. The locations of the CRes of a human canine in MD and BL directions can be estimated by finding the CPCSs in the two directions. Finally, it was shown that the stress invariants can be used to characterize how the osteocytes feel when ME changes. The stress invariants in the alveolar bone are not significantly affected by different M/F. The higher bone modeling/remodeling activities along the direction of tooth movement may be related to the initial volumetric increase and decrease in the alveolar bone.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Quantification of treatment outcomes (tooth displacement and bony changes) is the key to advance orthodontic research and improve clinical practices. Traditionally, treatment outcome were quantified by using two-dimensional (2D) cephalometric analysis. However, there are problems inherent in 2D analysis, such as tracing errors and inability to detect side-effects. Thus, a reliable three-dimensional (3D) image analysis method for treatment outcome quantification is of high interest. Systematic 3D image analysis methods were developed for digital dental cast models and Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) models. A typical analysis procedure includes image reconstruction, landmarks identification, coordinate system setup, superimposition, and displacement or change calculation. The specified procedures for maxillary teeth displacements and anatomical landmarks movements were presented and validated. The validation results showed that these procedures were accurate and reliable enough for clinical applications. The 3D methods were first applied to a human canine retraction clinical study. The purposes of this study were to quantify canines and anchorage tooth movements, and to compare two commonly used canine retraction strategies, controlled tipping and translation. The canine results showed that (1) canine movements were linear with time; (2) the initial load system was not the only factor that controlled the canine movement pattern; and (3) control tipping was significantly faster than translation. The anchorage tooth results showed that (1) anchorage losses occurred even with transpalatal arch (TPA); (2) there was no significant difference in anchorage loss between the two treatment strategies; and (3) compared with removable TPA, fixed TPA appliance can significantly reduce the amount of anchorage loss in the mesial-distal direction. The second clinical application for the 3D methods was a mandibular growth clinical trial. The purposes of this study were to quantify skeletal landmark movements, and compare two widely used appliances, Herbst and MARA. The results showed that (1) the Herbst appliance caused mandibular forward movement with backward rotation; and (2) the treatment effects had no significant differences by using either Herbst or MARA appliances. The two clinical applications validated the methods developed in this study to quantify orthodontic treatment outcomes. They also demonstrated the benefits of using the 3D methods to quantify orthodontic treatment outcomes and to test fundamental hypotheses. These 3D methods can easily be extended to other clinical cases. This study will benefit orthodontic patients, clinicians and researchers.