Neural modulation of inflammatory reactions in dental tissues incident to orthodontic tooth movement. A review of the literature

Abstract

This article reviews the current knowledge of the biological aspects of dental tissue changes incident to orthodontic tooth movement. The inflammatory nature of these tissue changes was first recognized in the early 1970s, and since then a number of morphological and quantitative investigations have been published in support of this view. The studies dealing with vascular and cellular dental tissue changes, as well as those concerned with inflammatory mediators present at sites of orthodontic tooth movement are systematized and presented accordingly. Special emphasis is placed upon the role of the sensory nerve fibres and their neuropeptides in the control, and development of an inflammatory process, i.e. their role in tooth movement.