Biomarkers of orthodontic tooth movement with fixed appliances and vibration appliance therapy: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of supplemental vibratory force on biomarkers of bone remodelling during orthodontic tooth movement, the rate of mandibular anterior alignment (RMAA), and compliance with a vibration device. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS Forty patients between the ages 15-35 undergoing fixed appliance treatment that presented to a university orthodontic clinic were randomly allocated to supplemental use of an intraoral vibrational device (n = 20, AcceleDent®) or fixed appliance only (n = 20). Salivary multiplex assay was completed to analyse the concentration of selected biomarkers of bone remodelling before treatment (T0) and at three following time points (T1, T2, T3), 4-6 weeks apart. Irregularity of the mandibular anterior teeth and compliance was assessed at the same trial time points. Data were analysed blindly on an intention-to-treat basis with descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and linear mixed effects regression modelling. RESULTS No difference in the changes in salivary biomarkers of bone remodelling and RMAA between groups at any time point over the trial duration was observed. No correlation was found between changes in irregularity and biomarker level from baseline to another time point. Lastly, there was no association between RMAA and compliance with the AcceleDent® device. CONCLUSIONS Supplemental vibratory force during orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances does not affect biomarkers of bone remodelling or the RMAA. LIMITATIONS The main limitation of the study was the small sample size and the large variability in the salivary biomarkers. HARMS No harms were observed during the duration of the trial. PROTOCOL The protocol was not published prior to trial commencement. REGISTRATION The study was registered in Clinical Trials.gov (NCT02119455) first posted on April 2014.