Concept for the development of new individual orthodontic devices with theaid of three-dimensional numerical simulation of bone remodelling

The present study is part of a research project that includes different com ponents for the simulation of orthodontic tooth movement and comparing expe rimental results. This concept includes the development of a bone remodelling algorithm, as w ell as experimental studies on tooth movement. After the acquisition and ev aluation of specific experimental data of the patient's situation, the indi vidual components have to be integrated to verify and forecast tooth moveme nt. The aim is to design individual treatment devices as well as to shorten treatment while making it more effective, The geometry of the teeth and that of the surrounding alveolar bone both in fluence the orthodontic tooth movement. For this reason, an exact morpholog ical tooth model for the valid simulation of the tooth movement is needed, and can be constructed from computed tomography data. Simulation of tooth m ovement can then be compared with ,,in vivo" measurements of the orthodonti c tooth movement. In this study, a specially developed hybrid retraction sp ring is employed. This spring enables the application of a defined, almost constant force system. The,in vivo" determined tooth movement is simulated with the aid of special positioning and measuring devices. Meanwhile, the a ctive force system can be determined by 6-component force/moment sensors. T he experimentally measured force system ,,in vivo" measurements of tooth mo vement and the CT model are now available for numerical simulation for the first time.