EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE USE OF CREATINE ON ORTHODONTIC MOVEMENT IN RATS
Creatine. Tooth movement. Rats. Metabolism. Orthodontics.
Introduction:Considering that creatine (Cr) can interfere in several aspects of bone metabolism, it has been questioned whether this substance could also influence orthodontic movement, since this process depends on the shiftseebone, with bone apposition in the alveolar region and bone resorption on the opposite side. Objective: To evaluate the effect of creatine on orthodontic tooth movement in rats. Methodology: This is an experimental, in vivo, controlled study, with a descriptive and inferential basis. The sample consisted of 36 healthy male Wistar rats (Ratus norvegicus albinus), aged between 7 and 12 weeks, which were subjected to continuous orthodontic tooth movement of the upper first permanent molars, on the left side, for a period of 21 days. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: Control group (CG) - rats subjected only to orthodontic movement and daily water intake (n=12); Experimental group creatine 1 (GEC1) - rats subjected to orthodontic movement and a daily dose of 21 mg/kg of creatine (n=12); and Experimental group creatine 2 (GEC2) - rats subjected to orthodontic movement and a daily dose of 51 mg/kg of creatine (n=12). The analysis of the amount of orthodontic movement was performed by means of computed microtomography. To investigate bone remodeling, a morphological study was performed using the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) method. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, followed by Tukey's test with a 95% confidence interval. Results: There were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) between the control group and the experimental groups in any of the orthodontic movement variables studied. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that creatine does not affect orthodontic movement.