Tooth rotation and alveolar bone loss

Tooth rotation and periodontal breakdown has not been thoroughly studied due to lack of quantitative tools. The purpose of the present study was to examine this correlation, with respect to alveolar bone loss, from direct observation of 17 skulls. A photograph of the mandibular occlusal plane was taken from a fixed reference point, and the midcentral fossa and the extreme mesial and idstal points of each tooth were marked on the photograph. A computer program established the arch form of each mandible from the midtooth landmarks. The angle between individual teeth and the arch (at any given point) was calculated. Bone loss, indicated by the distance of the bone crest from the cementoenamel junction, was measured at six reference points around each tooth with a caliper. A positive correlation, though weak, was found between increased tooth rotation and greater bone loss. Mean bone loss of teeth with rotation of 20 degrees and greater was 4.03 mm, while that of teeth with less than 20 degrees of rotation was 3.49 mm.