A clinical and histological evaluation of titanium mini-implants as anchors for orthodontic intrusion in the beagle dog.

The aim of this study was to determine the anchorage potential of the titanium mini-implant for orthodontic intrusion of the mandibular posterior teeth. Six mini-implants were surgically placed around the mandibular third premolars on each side in 3 adult male beagle dogs. On the buccal site, three mini-implants were placed distal to the apex of the distal root of the third premolar, at the interradicular septa of the third premolar, and mesial to the apex of the mesial root of the third premolar, as linearly as possible. The same procedure was performed at the lingual site on both sides of the mandibular third premolars in each dog. Bilateral interradicular mini-implants on both the buccal and the lingual sites were used as the anchorage for the intrusion of the third premolars (loaded implants) and the other mini-implants were used as control (unloaded) implants. In 6 weeks, an intrusive force (150 g) was applied between the interradicular implants on the buccal and the lingual sites by closed coil springs run across the crowns of the third premolars. After 12 to 18 weeks of orthodontic intrusion, the animals were killed and their mandibles were dissected and prepared for histologic and fluorescent observation. The results indicated that the mandibular third premolars intruded 4.5 mm, on average, after 12 to 18 weeks of orthodontic force application, with mild root resorption at the furcation area as well as the root apex. All the mini-implants remained stable during orthodontic tooth movement without any mobility or displacement. The morphometrical findings indicated that the calcification of the peri-implant bone on the loaded implants was equal to or slightly greater than those of the controls. In addition, 6 of the 36 mini-implants were removed after tooth movement, and all of them were easily removed with a screwdriver. These findings suggest that mini-implants are effective tools for the anchorage of orthodontic intrusion in beagle dogs.