Alveolar bone density changes around miniscrews: A prospective clinical study

Introduction: Our objective was to assess the effects of miniscrews on interproximal alveolar bone density and adjacent gingival tissue health. Methods: Forty-four titanium miniscrews were inserted between maxillary second premolars and first molars on both sides of the dentition in 22 consecutive patients (15 female, 7 male; ages, 14-24 years). A control area (between the maxillary first and second premolars) was also assessed. Both miniscrew (study) and control areas were monitored clinically and radiographically at different time points: before insertion of the miniscrews and at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after insertion. Software associated with a digital intraoral radiography machine was used to assess changes in alveolar bone density. Clinical gingival parameters of the study and control areas were also recorded. A repeated-measures analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post-hoc pairwise comparison tests were used to assess the changes at the different time points. Results: Thirty-nine miniscrews were successful for the study duration. Male subjects had significantly (P<0.001) higher alveolar bone density than did the females at baseline. Alveolar bone density around the miniscrews increased significantly (P<0.001) between 3 and 6 months after insertion upon loading. Alveolar bone density of the control area did not change significantly during the experiment (P.>0.05). The width of keratinized gingiva increased significantly (P<0.001) in the study and control areas after insertion of miniscrews and remained with no significant change throughout the study. Conclusions: Miniscrews increased the alveolar bone density significantly after 3 months of insertion and were not associated with detrimental effects on the adjacent gingival tissues. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2012;142:758-67)