Limiting factors in orthodontic treatment: 2. The biological limitations of orthodontic treatment.

Dent Update 33(2):100-2, 105-6, 108-10 (2006) PMID 16610264

Owing to a shortage in the orthodontic workforce in the United Kingdom, general dental practitioners carry out orthodontic treatment in selected cases. Orthodontic treatment may not always be successful due to various factors. Some of these limiting factors are related to the practitioner, others to the patients and the orthodontic appliances used. These three sets of factors were covered in the first part of this article. This second part deals with the biologic limitations of orthodontic treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: General dental practitioners and novice orthodontic practitioners may get into difficulties by embarking upon an orthodontic treatment which may not be feasible due to various limitations imposed by the underlying biology. This article provides a brief outline of these limitations.