ABSTRACT
Orthodontic tooth movement is closely related to the stress on the periodontal tissue. In this research the finite element method was used to observe the stress distribution and to find the best condition for effective tooth movement in the case of unilateral molar expansion. The author constructed the model of lower dental arch of average Korean adult and used .032" x .032" x 60mm TMA wire. The wire was deflected in the horizontal and vertical direction to give the 16 conditions. The following results were obtained; 1. When the moment and force were controlled properly the movement of anchor tooth was minimized and the movement of moving tooth was maximized. 2. As the initial horizontal deflection increased the buccal displacement of both teeth was also increased. As the initial vertical deflection increased the lingual movement of anchor tooth and the buccal movement of moving tooth increased. 3. When the initial horizontal and vertical deflection rate was 1.5 the effective movement of moving tooth was observed with minimal displacement of anchor tooth.