Linear polarized near-infrared irradiation stimulates mechanical expansion of the rat sagittal suture

Mechanical sutural separation has been carried out in clinical orthodontics for controlling the growth of the craniofacial skeleton. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of linear polarized near-infrared ray irradiation on the sutural expansion of rat sagittal suture. Twenty 8-week-old Wistar strain male rats were equally divided into experimental and control groups, Suture expansion was carried out for 5 days for all animals using an expansion appliance. The experimental animals were subjected to linear polarized near-infrared irradiation. This study has demonstrated that linear polarized near-infrared irradiation stimulates sutural expansion without any pathological changes, Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.