The effect of pregnancy on orthodontic tooth movement in rats

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pregnancy on orthodontic tooth movement
in Wistar rats.
Material and Methods: Forty eight female three-month old Wistar rats with an average weight of 250±25 gr were
selected and randomly divided into two experimental (pregnant) and control groups (non-pregnant). Maxillary
central incisors were tipped distally by insertion of springs exerting 30g force. Two, seven and fourteen days
after spring insertion animals were sacrificed. Then the mesioincisal distance between maxillary incisors were
measured. Subsequently, histological sections were prepared to count osteoclasts under a light microscope. The
data on the extent of orthodontic tooth movement, and the number of osteoclasts were analyzed by independent
sample t-test.
Results: The results indicated that 2,7 and 14 days after force application there was no significant difference in
orthodontic tooth movement between experimental and control groups (p>0.05). The number of osteoclasts were
significantly lower in the experimental group 7 and 14 days after spring insertion (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Pregnancy may decrease the amount of tooth movement in the linear phase but it is not statistically
significant. The number of osteoclasts is significantly decreased during pregnancy.