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