The Prevalence of Root Resorption after Orthodontic Treatment in Patients Attending a University Hospital Dental Clinic

Abstract

Introduction: After orthodontic treatment, some teeth undergo external root resorption due to different factors, such as the root shape, oral habits, biological and genetic factor, gender, and age. Furthermore, extraction cases, long treatment duration, and the amount of force applied during the treatment might be related to root resorption.

Materials and methods: Panoramic radiographs for 226 patients treated in the orthodontic department were screened. The lower first permanent molars, lower second premolars, and lower first premolars were measured in centimeters on a ruler using ImageJ System. Teeth were measured from the cusp tip to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) and from the CEJ to the root apex, and then, the tooth was measured as a whole before and after the treatment.

Results: Multiple analysis of variance showed that there were no interactions between the root lengths of all teeth tested and either gender, treatment type, or treatment duration (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, no statistically significance relationship between external apical root resorption and gender, type of treatment, and treatment duration was found.

Keywords: Orthodontics; panoramic radiograph; root resorption; tooth movement.