The force applied on the tooth and the consequential tooth movement has been a popular topic for orthodontists for many years. In this article, force magnitude, optimal tooth movement and their relationship will be discussed. Understanding the main problems of determining the optimal force and the kind of studies performed on tooth movement as well as a review of the available literature on these topics could be a basis for the application of appropriate forces in clinical orthodontics and for the design of future research.

Keywords: Tooth movement, Optimal force