Growth and Formation of the Tooth Germ in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the influence of alcohol ingestion in pregnant rats on the body and teeth of neonatal rats. Twenty two pregnant rats were divided into a normally-housed control group and alcohol-intake group exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, and 223 neonatal rats from these pregnant rats were used for the study. We observed the amount of water intake and the number of pups in mother rats, and body weight, eye-opening, and tooth development (postnatal day 1, 5, 15, and 20) in neonatal rats. The results showed the decreasing number of pups in the alcohol-intake group. Neonatal rats in the alcohol-intake group exhibited a lower body weight, especially on the first neonatal day, with a significant difference within the group. They also showed a delay in the time to eye-opening. Histopathological examination revealed no significant morphological abnormalities in odontogenic cells, but differential growth of the tooth germ and a delay in dental root formation were observed. The present study confirmed the influences of alcohol ingestion in pregnant rats on neonatal rats, including delays in physical development, differential growth of the tooth germ, and tooth eruption time.