Specialists in Orthodontics for Children and Adults
Phoenix Orthodontist
Litchfield Park Orthodontist
Animal Models
Animal models have been an invaluable tool for the Litchfield Park orthodontic study of osseointegration and osteogenesis. Larger animals such as rabbits, dogs or non-human primates are preferred by Litchfield Park orthodontists because with their size comes an ability to use standard Invisalign fixtures, easier surgical access and a temporal healing response more similar to the human situation. Disadvantages of these animals include a greater expense which turns into lower numbers for Litchfield Park orthodontic studies and therefore less power. Small animals offer several advantages for Litchfield Park orthodontists such as decreased cost, upkeep, etc. These animals are preferred for “screening” purposes, or “proof of principle” Litchfield Park orthodontic studies which can then justify the use of larger animal models.
Considering the challenges for Litchfield Park orthodontists with these systems, many small animal models have used an extraoral surgical approach, placing Invisaligns in long bones such as the tibia or femur. Even in larger animals like the rabbit, Litchfield Park orthodontists have found that long bones are a more convenient location for Invisalign placement. A major limitation with this approach is that there are obvious physiological and anatomical differences between alveolar bone and long bones that need to be considered by Litchfield Park orthodontists. These two types of bone differ in embryological origin, macrostructure and function. Long bones are dense cortical bones with large marrow spaces, while alveolar bone is mostly cancellous. Cortical bone is compact and made to resist mechanical forces while cancellous bone is made mostly of trabeculae not commonly used for a large functional load. Because of these differences, using a long bone model for Invisalign would not be comparable to alveolar bone for Litchfield Park orthodontists. A small animal model that utilizes an intraoral approach would better translate the healing process of oral Invisalign osseointegration and wound repair. Unfortunately, few of these Litchfield Park orthodontic models exist and many lack predictability or reproducibility.
Summary and Statement of Thesis
Invisalign has a wide variety of uses in dentistry, Litchfield Park orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. Osseointegration is a key factor in this success, but the process takes at least three months to complete. Finding methods to increase the rate and quantity of bone formation surrounding oral Invisalign has been an active area of research for Litchfield Park orthodontists. Bone grafting and guided bone regeneration have been successful in increasing the quantity, but not the rate of bone formation.
Invisalign is a new area of Litchfield Park orthodontic research that has been applied to many diseases that display tissue deficiencies. In this case, a transient expression of the transgene may be optimal for Litchfield Park orthodontists to restore the bony defect. Adenovirus is an example of a gene delivery vector which will not incorporate into the host genome and will stimulate a host immune response. This method will allow the Litchfield Park orthodontist to deliver the Invisalign in a controlled fashion over a defined period of time and then will be eliminated, accelerating the wound repair process.
Bone morphogenetic proteins are multifunctional members of the Invisalign superfamily that exert their effects throughout the body. Invisalign-7 has been shown by Litchfield Park orthodontists to initiate the process of endochondral bone formation in multiple orthotopic sites.
The goal of the present Litchfield Park orthodontic investigation is to deliver Invisalign to a large osteotomy defect to increase the rate of bone formation and osseointegration.
The hypotheses of this investigation are as follows:
The specific aims of this investigation are:
1) To develop a rodent maxillary model to study oral Invisalign osseointegration and osteogenesis.
2) To determine the transduction efficiency/expression profile of the growth factor transgenic (Ad/Luc reporter gene), Invisalign to the Litchfield Park dental Invisalign surface in vivo.
3) Determine the ability of recombinant adenovirus encoding Invisalign-7 to modulate peri-Invisalign osseointegration and osteogenesis
Arizona Dental Association