[The significance of the gingival ligament system for orthodontic tooth movement--an experimental animal study].

In ten six-month-old Wistar rats, we studied tooth movement after fiberotomy. To trace bone remodeling, all rats received two labelling dyes in five days intervals. We found that ligament regeneration is complete after 14 days. Using fluorescence microscopy we found in rats when stretching forces were continued that a reversal of tooth drift takes place in comparison to the control side, indicating an identical behaviour as before. Only in cases with inflammation no fibre regeneration was found and the mesial drift of the neighbouring tooth was missing. Because of these side-effects this procedure seems not to be a useful adjuvant to enhance orthodontic tooth movement.