Evaluation of the effects of progesterone on experimental Tooth movement in rabbits

Bone turn over in females is influenced by steroid hormones such as progesterone. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Progesterone on experimental tooth movement in rabbits. Twenty four pre-pubertal female albino rabbits were randomly assigned into three equal groups. In the first group (LTG), rabbits received daily injection of 5 mg intramuscular progesterone for 9 weeks. In the second group (STG), rabbits received the same injections for the last 3 weeks of the experiment and in the third or control group (CG), the animals did not receive any progesterone. At the end of the 6th week, in all groups, two brackets were bonded to the incisor teeth in order to apply 50 gr distal force to these teeth via a stainless steel springs. Measurements were conducted at the end of weeks 7, 8, and 9 to calculate the distance between the incisors. The ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to compare the three groups. The results showed no significant difference between the three groups at the end of the 7th and 8th week, but at the end of the 9th week, the rate of tooth movement was significantly lower in the first group (long term progesterone application) compared to the other two groups (p value = 0.001 and 0.044, respectively). It was concluded that long- term Progesterone administration reduced the rate of tooth movement in rabbits.