title: A mechanobiological model of orthodontic tooth movement.
abstract: Orthodontic tooth movement is achieved by the process of repeated alveolar bone resorption on the pressure side and new bone formation on the tension side. In order to optimize orthodontic treatment, it is important to identify and study the biological processes involved. This article presents a mechanobiological model using partial differential equations to describe cell densities, growth factor concentrations, and matrix densities occurring during orthodontic tooth movement. We hypothesize that such a model can predict tooth movement based on the mechanobiological activity of cells in the PDL. The developed model consists of nine coupled non-linear partial differential equations, and two distinct signaling pathways were modeled: the RANKL-RANK-OPG pathway regulating the communication between osteoblasts and osteoclasts and the TGF-β pathway mediating the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts. The predicted concentrations and densities were qualitatively validated by comparing the results to experiments reported in the literature. In the current form, the model supports our hypothesis, as it is capable of conceptually simulating important features of the biological interactions in the alveolar bone-PDL complex during orthodontic tooth movement.
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300C, Box 2419, 3001, Heverlee, Belgium. an.vanschepdael@mech.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Schepdael
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vander Sloten
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geris
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009970:Orthodontics; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000378:metabolism; D053245:RANK Ligand / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D016474:Weight-Bearing
chemical_list: D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta