Introduction: The extraction of maxillary first premolars is usually the treatment of choice to resolve crowding, alveolar protrusion, or Class II malocclusion. The demand for a lingual orthodontic treatment is increasing because of its esthetic value; therefore, understanding lingual biomechanics is essential to every clinician. This study compared the 3-dimensional (3D) effects of sliding mechanics in labial and lingual orthodontics using the finite element method.
Methods: Twelve 3D finite element models were created with different power arm heights and miniscrew positions. A 150 g of retraction force was applied from the head of the miniscrew to the power arm. The 3D displacement of the original nodes was measured, and the stress distribution on defined element zones of the periodontal ligament.
Results: Different force directions led to different movement patterns and stress distribution. The lingual models showed a more important lingual crown tipping, extrusion, and higher stress values than the labial models. Results were not affected by the vertical position of the miniscrew.
Conclusions: Bodily en-masse retraction was not achieved in all models. Adding extra torque to the archwires is essential to prevent excessive lingual crown tipping. The lingual appliance induced more lingual tipping and extrusion of the anterior teeth. Expanding the archwire is important to minimize the risk of intercanine width reduction. The vertical position of the miniscrew does not affect the results of en-masse retraction.
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