Biological Mechanisms of Tooth Movement

VINOD KRISHNAN, BDS, MDS, MOrth RCS
ZE'EV DAVIDOVITCH, DMD

256 pages. $200. 2009.

Wiley-Blackwell, 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256.
(800) 434-3422; www.wiley.com.

This book is an ambitious editorial effort by Drs. Vinod Krishnan and Ze'ev Davidovitch, assisted by numerous individual contributors. The first of 12 chapters outlines the development of the historical biological concepts that have been used from the very beginning of orthodontic treatment. Another chapter presents a cogent overview of the biology of tooth movement from many different perspectives, including tissue, cellular, and chemical, along with competing theories of tooth-movement biology. Other sections cover the genetic influences on orthodontic movement and provide detailed information on the periodontal response. Still others describe the effects of drugs and diet on tooth movement and the clinical implications of basic and applied science.

Although the early chapters, which present detailed theoretical and laboratory-derived information, might obscure the critical importance of their clinical application, the last few chapters attempt to tie all the preceding material to everyday clinical  practice. Recommendations for planning tooth movement and a frank discussion of iatrogenic issues associated with orthodontic treatment, in addition to the realities of relapse, are well presented. This text should be required reading for every orthodontic resident and will serve as an invaluable and often-revisited resource for the clinician. Orthodontic faculty will find it to be a source of continued stimuli for enlightened classroom discussions. The editors have given new life, order, and direction to the fundamental biology that lies behind all the appliances we choose to use for our patients.

ELLIOTT M. MOSKOWITZ, DDS, MSD