Elevation of a full-thickness mucoperiosteal flap alone accelerates orthodontic tooth movement.

Introduction: Our objective was to determine whether the elevation of a full-thickness mucoperiosteal flap alone, without cortical cuts, decreases the amount of bone around teeth and accelerates mesial tooth movements.

Methods: The mandibular second premolars of 7 beagle dogs were extracted, and on a randomly selected side, a full-thickness mucoperiosteal buccal flap extending from the distal aspect of the third premolar to the mesial aspect of the first premolar was elevated. The other side did not receive flap surgery.