Effects of mechanical vibration on bone – a critical review

Abstract

The benefits of reduced treatment time and comfort for patients undergoing corrective dental treatment with devices gave rise to the creation and modification of long-standing treatment protocols. One of the protocols used for these purposes is mechanical vibration. Objective: This review aimed to study the effects of mechanical vibration on bone. Methods: Portal Capes (periodicos.capes.gov.br) database was searched using the keywords “vibration” and “bone” with no date limit. Based on the title and abstract, the first 50 relevant studies were retrieved. The measured frequencies were between 4 and 150 Hz. Regarding exposure time and the number of applications, the variation is so wide that the average or median would not represent a realistic sample pattern. Results: In the retrieved studies, 41 reported improvements in bone conditions. Research studies show that a reproducible protocol is being applied in most studies on the effects of mechanical vibration on bone tissue. Conclusion: There is stimulation of bone biology, regardless of species, in the sense of osteogenesis in individuals exposed to high frequency mechanical vibration. To improve research protocols on the effects of vibrations on the body, more studies are needed.

Editor’s Letter. Are Basic Science really important to clinicians?

“…This discovery abolishes the slavery of the vertical dimension. It is true the any alteration on the occlusal vertical dimension requires detailed planning and lots of expertise to done [1], but basic science changes clinical concepts For instance, a revision about use of mechanical vibration on bone biology [2] concluded is that high frequency and low magnitude mechanical vibration stimulates bone biology enhancing patient response to dentofacial treatments. Another revision shows that the degree of benefit varies regarding the origin of the cell, age, characteristics of the mechanical wave, and some biochemical agents, but differentiation of stem and progenitor cells promoting cell differentiations, selfrenewal and proliferation is a reality for both in vivo and in vitro investigations [3].…”