Effects of miniscrew-facilitated micro-osteoperforations on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement: A split-mouth, randomized controlled trial

Purpose The aim of the present split-mouth randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of miniscrew-facilitated micro-osteoperforations (MOPs) on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement during canine retraction. Methods A total of 20 young adult patients (mean age 16.5 years) with the indication for bilateral maxillary first premolar extraction were included in the study. The MOPs were randomly applied to either the right or left side of the mouth with miniscrews (1.5 mm width, 8 mm length) to the extraction area, 28 days apart. The canine distalization continued for 3 months. The closure of the extraction space was measured by using a digital analysis program on the pre- and postdigital study models for both the control and experiment sides. Results The mean rate of extraction space closure on the MOP side was 2.51 ± 1.41 mm and on the control side was 2.88 ± 1.32 mm. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups ( p > 0.05). Conclusion Overall, we found that MOPs did not significantly affect the rate of orthodontic tooth movement during canine retraction.