The center of resistance of a tooth: a review of the literature.

The center of resistance is considered the fundamental reference point for controlled tooth movement. Accurate determination of its location can greatly enhance the efficiency of orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this review was to analyse the scientific literature related to the location of center of resistance of tooth determined by various approaches. The literature describes three essential approaches to identify the center of resistance point, one being experimental in nature, one based on an analytical physical approach, and one using a numerical physical approach that uses a finite element simulation. A review on data referring to the location of the center of resistance, limited to single rooted tooth has been performed from electronic databases. It showed variation in its location related to the assumptions used in the model. The center of resistance of tooth therefore cannot be considered a static point, but rather as the composite point of all factors offering resistance to the applied force such as the tooth morphology and mass distribution within the tooth, the structure of the periodontium, the alveolar bone level, the adjacent teeth and direction of force applied.