A DEVICE FOR THE APPLICATION OF KNOWN SIMULATED ORTHODONTIC FORCES TO HUMAN-CELLS INVITRO

Connective tissues are responsive to mechanical forces. In orthodontic tooth movement it appears that the periodontal ligament (PDL) is the source of a pleuropotential cell population and extracellular matrix structure which translates mechanical perturbation information into a host of cellular events. These include proliferation, repair, differentiation, and shape change. We have designed, built, and tested a simple, adaptable machine which enables us to examine molecular changes or events in the cell nucleus, cell membrane, and the cytoskeleton of any eukasytic cell that will adhere to a membrane. These responses to clinically simulated forces applied to an in vitro system can be measured.