title: Effect of Dietary Vitamin C on Orthodontic Tooth Movement in Rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bone remodeling occurs during orthodontic treatment; this process enables tooth movement. Many factors can affect bone remodeling at the cellular level, such as nutritional supplements that can affect tooth movement. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of dietary vitamin C on orthodontic tooth movement in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out on 36 six-week male Wistar rats with a mean weight of 225±32 g, which were randomly allocated to two equal groups. Rats in the case group received 1wt% vitamin C in their daily water. Opening springs were placed on the incisor teeth of both case and control groups. After 17 days, rats were sacrificed; the distance between the mesio-incisal angles of these teeth was measured with a digital caliper. Histological sections were made containing incisor teeth and alveolar bone and stained by hematoxylin-eosin. The number of resorption lacunae was evaluated using light microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings showed that the amount of tooth movement in the vitamin C group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.001). The osteoclast counts were significantly higher in vitamin C group (P=0.036).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral vitamin C can increase orthodontic tooth movement in rats with more osteoclast lacunae around root in the pressure area.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Dental Research Center, Faculty of Dentistry, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Amirfarhang
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miresmaeili
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Student, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Najmeh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mollaei
authors.affiliation: Orthodontist, Private Practice, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Azar
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Farhadian
authors.affiliation: Biostatistician, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Khosrou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mani Kashani
keywords: Ascorbic Acid; Bone Remodeling; Orthodontics; Osteoclasts; Tooth Movement