Finite element analysis of stress around a moved tooth and correlation with osteoclast distribution

Describes the relationship between the osteoclast appearance and the stress distribution around a retracted tooth. The authors observed osteoclasts on tissue sections of the maxillary canine of a cat subject to experimental tooth movement. Based on morphology of each section, the authors developed a 2-D specimen-specific finite element model to estimate a stress distribution in the periodontal ligament. The osteoclasts appeared in the restricted region of a certain magnitude of stress. The results reveal that there is a close correlation between the stress and osteoclast distributions and suggest that the present method is useful for understanding the process of bone remodeling