BACKGROUND

Piezoelectric surgery is a newly introduced technique for rapid tooth movement. However, the efficiency of this technique has not been investigated on en-masse retraction cases yet.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the efficiency of piezosurgery technique in accelerating miniscrew supported en-masse retraction and study the biological tissue response. In addition, to show if this technique induces a difference in dental, skeletal and soft tissue changes on lateral cephalograms, and in canine and molar rotations, besides intercanine and intermolar widths on dental casts.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a randomized, single-centred, parallel-group, controlled trial, requiring upper right and left first premolar extractions on 30 patients above the minimum age of 14 years at the beginning of retraction.

INTERVENTIONS

Piezosurgery-assisted versus conventional en-masse retraction anchored from miniscrews placed between second premolars and first molars, bilaterally.

OUTCOMES

The main outcome was the en-masse retraction rate. Secondary outcomes were gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume and GCF content of receptor activator of nuclear factor κβ ligand (RANKL), changes regarding cephalometric and dental cast variables, and miniscrew success rates.

RANDOMIZATION

Accomplished with opaque, sealed envelopes.

BLINDING

Applicable for data assessment only.

RECRUITMENT

Commenced in February 2013 and ended in October 2014.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients were included in the study and divided into 2 groups of piezosurgery (n = 16) and control (n = 15). After 9.3 months of follow-up, no statistically significant difference was observed between groups for neither retraction rates (P = 0.958) nor GCF parameters (P > 0.05). Changes in lateral cephalometric and dental cast variables, and miniscrew success rates did not show significant differences either.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of this study, piezosurgery technique was found to be ineffective in accelerating en-masse retraction, and promoting a difference in the studied GCF parameters, skeletal and dental variables.

REGISTRATION

The trial was not registered.

PROTOCOL

The full protocol of this PhD thesis study can be accessed from tez.yok.gov.tr.

FUNDING

This work was supported by Başkent University Research Fund. No conflict of interest was declared.