Is the Palate an Optimal Site for Miniscrew Placement?

To test the hypothesis that palatal bone is able to support miniscrews when subjected to forces generatedduring orthodontic treatment. Finite element method software ANSYS10.0 was used. Tests were done in a state of osseointegration and non osseointegration. Two different palatal regions i.e. one layer of cortical bone and underlying trabecular bone; & two layers of cortical bone with trabecular bone in between were involved. In both cases, for each configuration, two different forces of 240 gfand480 gf were applied to the screws. These load values corresponded to those generated by the application of an orthodontic appliance to the miniscrew. The results showed that miniscrew inserted into the palate can be anchored to bone and loaded within orthodontic force range without bone fracture. The osseointegrated system was characterized by lower level of stress than non osseointegrated but anchorage within the second layer of cortical bone reduced the stress on the trabecular bone, improving stability of the implant. We conclude that miniscrews loaded within the normal orthodontic force range do not exceed stress levels that lead to bone fracture.