Effects of Zoledronic Acid on Orthodontic Tooth Movement in Rats.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the administration of zoledronic acid (ZA) during orthodontic movement in rats. A hundred and twenty male Wistar rats were applied force of 30 cN with spring closed nickel-titanium to move the upper right first molar to mesial. In the Control Movement group (CM), only tooth movement was performed; the Control Acid Zoledronic group (CAZ) received a single dose (0.1 mg/kg) of ZA; the Experimental Acid Zoledronic group (EAZ) received a single dose (0.1 mg/kg) one week prior to the start of tooth movement; and the Control Without movement group (CWM) that received no drug and without application of tooth movement. The animals were euthanized after 3, 7 and 14 days. Tooth movement was measured using a caliper, the number of osteoclasts using TRAP staining, the expression of mature and immature collagen using picrosirius staining, and the presence of hyaline areas and root resorption using HE. The data were compared using two-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD, Games-Howell and chi-squared test, at the 5% significance level. It was observed a smaller number of osteoclasts and greater percentage of hyaline area in the EAZ group. There was no difference among the groups regarding bone remodeling, root resorption and tooth movement for all observed times.