Objective: To observe the periodontal healing of autogenously transplanted teeth loaded orthodontically after autotransplantation in Beagle dogs.
Methods: Forty-eight teeth were autogenously transplanted, 24 of which were loaded postoperatively with orthodontic force at different time points and for different durations. Periodontal healing was evaluated by probing pocket depth (PPD), the expression of relevant proteins, and histomorphometric analyses.
Results: The dental pockets of loaded and non-loaded teeth were both much deeper after the first postoperative week than before transplantation (P<0.05). Later, the PPD, which was measured after postoperative weeks 1, 3, 5, 9 and 13, gradually became shallow. The expressions of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were higher in loaded teeth than in non-loaded teeth (P<0.05), and in groups subjected to two weeks duration of loading than in other groups at the same load time point (P<0.05). For the same load duration, the expressions of ALP and bFGF in teeth loaded after postoperative week 4 were higher than those of other treatments (P<0.05). According to histomorphometric analyses, an orthodontic force on transplanted teeth applied after postoperative weeks 4 or 8 for two weeks duration should be favorable for periodontal healing.
Conclusions: It is advisable to apply an appropriate magnitude of force on autotransplanted teeth, such as orthodontic force, at appropriate time points and for a suitable duration, to achieve the optimal clinical prognosis following autogenous tooth transplantation. These results may serve as a basis for subsequent studies in humans so as to make clinical improvements.