Abstract
ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to develop an animal model for creating alveolar cleft defects with properly simulated clinical defect environment for tissue-engineered bone-substitute materials testing without compromising the health of the animal. Cleft creation surgery was aimed at creating a complete alveolar cleft with a wide bone defect with an epithelial lining (oral mucosa) overlying the cleft defect.MethodsA postmortem skull of a New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit skull (Oryctolagus cuniculus) underwent an osteological and imaging survey. A pilot postmortem surgery was conducted to confirm the feasability of a surgical procedure and the defect was also radiologically confirmed and illustrated with micro-computed tomography. Then, a surgical in vivo model was tested and evaluated in 16 (n = 16) 8-week-old NZW rabbits to create in vivo alveolar cleft creation surgery.ResultsClinical examination and imaging analysis 8 weeks after cleft creation surgery revealed the establishment of a wide skeletal defect extending to the nasal mucosa simulating alveolar clefts in all of the rabbits.ConclusionsOur surgical technique was successful in creating a sizable and predictable model for bone grafting material testing. The model allows for simulating the cleft site environment and can be used to evaluate various bone grafting materials in regard to efficacy of osteogenesis and healing potential without compromising the health of the animal.
Highlights
Congenital alveolar cleft is a malformation occurring as a result of non-fusion of primary palate during weeks 4–12 of gestation
Osteological survey of New Zealand White rabbit skull (O. cuniculus) A skull of a NZW rabbit was obtained from the animal stock library at RWTH Aachen University Hospital (Germany) for inspection of the anatomical landmarks (Fig. 1)
Microfocus computed tomography (Micro‐CT) for imaging survey Imaging with Micro-CT of a rabbit skull were obtained of radiographic analysis of the skeletal anatomy for assessment of the feasibility of creating an alveolar cleft defect and planning of the cleft creation surgery
Summary
Congenital alveolar cleft is a malformation occurring as a result of non-fusion of primary palate during weeks 4–12 of gestation. The goal of alveolar cleft repair is to establish bony continuity of the alveolar ridge in the maxilla, seal the communication oro-nasal communication, and create a favorable anatomy for dental rehabilitation [1,2,3] Reconstruction of the these defects is done via the alveolar cleft bone grafting procedure using autologous bone, allogenic and xenogeneic bone grafting materials, along with various tissue-engineered bone replacement materials [4,5,6,7,8]. Previous studies on in utero congenitally induced models reported increased need of technical expertise, concurrent multiple fetal malformations, and. To congenitally induced models, surgically created alveolar clefts in animals seem suitable to experimental studies regarding histologic and biomechanical properties of bone grafting material
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