Recent research from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) showed that osteocytes have a crucial role in orthodontic tooth movement as the major source of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL) which is a protein critical to bone remodeling. It is known that the differentiation of osteoclasts is regulated by RANKL. However, the source of RANKL in the periodontal tissue during orthodontic tooth movement was not previously identified. Now thanks to the research team it is know that osteocytes mainly express RANKL and play a key role in the remodeling of bone surrounding teeth during orthodontic tooth movement.
To explore this issue, the researchers used an orthodontic tooth movement model in which open coil springs were inserted between teeth of mice to move first molars. They then injected a neutralizing antibody against RANKL intended to reduce tooth movement. The researchers then established a novel method to fractionate cells in periodontal tissue. They found that osteocytes expressed much higher levels of RANKL compared with other periodontal tissue cells. The researchers also used osteocyte-specific RANKL deletion mice to confirm. It was found that orthodontic tooth movement was significantly suppressed in these mice with a decreased number of osteoclasts on the bone surface around the tooth.
Right now orthodontists try to accelerate tooth movement towards the places they want them to go and also prevent teeth from moving in places they don’t want them to go. Often braces and anchoring teeth is used which can in some cases damage oral tissues. Due to the researchers work it is believed that a pharmaceutical approach or giving a person a medication can perhaps be used instead of placing devices in a persons mouth. The researchers feel they have demonstrated the efficacy of medication targeting osteocytes to regulate RANKL expression in controlling tooth movement.
Even thought it has been shown that wisdom teeth do not cause crowding, there is still some who believe they do.
See http://www.teethremoval.com/wisdomteeth.html for more information. However, it is know that there is increased crowding of the anterior teeth as one ages. Perhaps one day a medication targeting osteocytes to regulate RANKL can be given to prevent this anterior teeth crowding as one ages. Perhaps it could even be given to help correct the way wisdom teeth grow in. It is know that horizontally impacted wisdom teeth angled at 35 degrees or greater appear to be least likely to erupt, see http://www.teethremoval.com/risks_of_keeping_wisdom_teeth.html. Perhaps one day a medication can be given to help wisdom teeth grow in at the correct angles leading to less needed wisdom teeth extractions.
Source: Ayumi Shoji-Matsunaga, and et al, Osteocyte regulation of orthodontic force-mediated tooth movement via RANKL expression, Scientific Reports, vol. 7, issue 1, 2017.