Impact of Bone-Grafting Materials on the Rate of Orthodontic Tooth Movement: A Systematic Review

Orthodontists may encounter patients with alveolar bony defects, which are often treated with various bone-grafting materials. The effects of different bone-grafting materials on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) are of concern to orthodontists. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the current status of the literature that reports on the effects of different bone-grafting materials on OTM in terms of the rate and side effects. An electronic search of the PubMed and Scopus databases and Google Scholar was performed. Two reviewers independently conducted the screening process using COVIDENCE™, and a third reviewer resolved any conflicts. SYRCLE’s (Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation's) risk-of-bias tool for animal studies was utilized to assess the quality of the included studies. Out of 457 initial titles, 11 studies were finally included for data extraction. All of the included studies were animal experiments, and none of them were considered to have a low risk of bias. The included studies had varied results. However, a general tendency existed, whereby OTM in surgically treated areas with no bone grafting presented the highest OTM rate. In cases where a bone graft was used, xenografts revealed the highest OTM rate, followed by alloplasts. Lastly, the use of allografts resulted in the slowest OTM rates. The most common side effect was root resorption. In conclusion, there is a lack of high-quality evidence regarding the effects of bone-grafting materials on OTM rate. Due to the lack of human subjects, RCTs, and the heterogeneity of subjects in the current literature, the impact of bone-grafting materials on OTM deserves further investigations using more rigorous scientific methodologies.