the effect of caffeine on orthodontic tooth movement in rats

objective(s): to determine the effect of different doses of caffeine on orthodontic tooth movement (otm) in rats. materials and methods: forty male 250-300 g sprague-dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups of ten animals each and received 0 (control), 1 g/l, 2 g/l and 3 g/l caffeine in tap water for 3 days. orthodontic appliances were ligated between the maxillary first molars and incisors on the 4th day of the study period. all rats were sacrificed after 2 weeks of treatment after which otm was measured. hematoxylin/eosin-stained sections of the molars were prepared and the mesial roots were examined for resorption-lacunae depth and osteoclast number. anova was used for statistical analysis (p<0.05). results: a significant decrease in otm was observed only in the 2 g/l (p=0.043) and 3 g/l (p<0.01) caffeine-receiving rats compared to the control animals. osteoclast counts and resorption-lacunae depths demonstrated significant differences between each of the caffeine groups and control rats (p<0.05). none of the variables showed significant differences between the caffeine groups (p>0.05). conclusion: according to our findings, one of the effects of caffeine consumption during orthodontic treatment in rats was decreased root resorption. additionally, concentrations of 2 g/l and 3 g/l inhibited otm which seems to be due to its influence on osteoclast numbers.