Conclusions
We found that an enriched vitamin E diet increases the rate of OTM in rats, suggesting that vitamin E may be useful as an avenue to accelerate OTM.
Methods
Thirty-two 6-week-old male rats were divided into 4 groups: (1) group 1 (n = 8): orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) for 4 days + regular diet; (2) group 2 (n = 8): OTM for 14 days + regular diet; (3) group 3 (n = 8): OTM for 4 days + vitamin E diet; and (4) group 4 (n = 8) - OTM for 14 days + vitamin E diet. Maxillary alveolar bones and femurs of rats were analyzed by microcomputed tomography and histology.
Results
Rats fed a vitamin E diet presented an increased OTM rate at days 4 and 14. We found an increased number of osteoclasts and decreased bone volume in the vitamin E diet group at day 14 of OTM. In addition, there was increased expression of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor in the alveolar bone of the vitamin E diet group. In contrast, there was no difference in bone remodeling in femurs or alveolar bone at the control side. Conclusions: We found that an enriched vitamin E diet increases the rate of OTM in rats, suggesting that vitamin E may be useful as an avenue to accelerate OTM.