Comparison of conventional orthodontic method with corticotomy and piezocision during rapid canine retraction

TL;DR

This study compares corticotomy and piezocision to speed up canine retraction in orthodontics, finding both effective but with different pain levels.

Contribution

A split-mouth comparison of corticotomy and piezocision for rapid canine retraction with pain and inclination outcomes.

Findings

Corticotomy and piezocision both significantly increased canine movement compared to controls.

Piezocision caused less post-operative discomfort than corticotomy.

Canine inclination remained unchanged across all groups after 12 weeks.

Abstract

The effect of corticotomy and piezocision to move canines back into position using a split-mouth approach is of interest. Hence, 18
patients were included with their upper first premolars extracted and corticotomy was performed on one side of the upper jaw and
piezocision on the other side, with the opposite sides serving as controls. The average movement of the canines was significantly
greater in the areas where corticotomy (2.14 ± 0.65 mm) and piezocision (2.20 ± 0.54 mm) was used compared to the control
sides (p < 0.05) and pain scores were higher for the corticotomy group at the 24-hour mark (p = 0.001), while there were no
significant changes in the inclination of the canines (p>0.05) by the end of the 12 weeks. Piezocision resulted in less post-operative
discomfort even through both methods successfully sped up the movement of canines.