The monitoring of gingival crevicular fluid volume during orthodontic treatment: a longitudinal randomized split-mouth study

This randomized split-mouth study was aimed at evaluating whether an orthodontic appliance per se or orthodontic tooth movement can induce detectable changes in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume, and thus whether GCF volume is a predictable biomarker for tissue remodelling incident to orthodontic tooth movement. Materials and Methods: Sixteen healthy orthodontic patients (7 females and 9 males; mean age, 17.7 years; range, 13–27 years) with the need for extraction of the first upper premolars were enrolled. One randomly chosen maxillary canine was subjected to a distalizing force by a 0.017 × 0.025 inch titanium-molybdenum alloy archwire and considered as the test tooth (TT). The contralateral canine, which was not subjected to any force but was included in an orthodontic appliance, was used as a control (CT). GCF sampling was performed at both mesial and distal sites of the CTs and TTs at baseline, immediately before applying the orthodontic appliance, and after 1 hour, 24 hours, and 7, 14, and 21 days. A Periotron was used to measure the GCF volume. A modest but significant increase in the GCF volume over time was seen in both the CTs (mesial sites) and the TTs (both mesial and distal sites) with no differences between the experimental teeth. Subclinical tissue inflammation consequent to the placement of the orthodontic appliance might be responsible for these GCF volume changes. The GCF volume does not appear to be a reliable biomarker for tissue remodelling during orthodontic treatment.