Electric currents, bone remodeling, and orthodontic tooth movement

Piezoelectric currents in mechanically stressed bone were implicated in the activation of bone cells. The objectives of this experiment were to determine the usefulness of exogenous electric currents in accelerating orthodontic tooth movement and to study the effect of electric-orthodontic treatment on periodontal cyclic nucleotides. Maxillary canines were tipped in five cats by 80 g force. Two groups of five cats each were treated by an electric-orthodontic procedure to one maxillary canine for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Teeth treated by force and electricity moved significantly faster than those treated by force alone. Enhanced bone resorption was observed near the anode (PDL compression site), while bone formation was pronounced near the cathode (PDL tension site). Staining for cyclic nucleotides was increased when electric stimulation was added to the mechanical force. These results suggest that orthodontic tooth movement may be accelerated by the use of locally applied electric currents.