IN VIVO EVALUATION OF THE ABILITY OF BIPHASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE IN ALVEOLAR BONE REGENERATION

Abstract

Background: The alveolar bone can be damaged by a variety of causes such as trauma, bone tumors and cysts, infection and tooth loss, affecting function, aesthetics, comfort and confidence of the patient. In order to reconstruct the alveolar bone defect, besides autologous bone, cellular and inorganic biological materials are being developed and widely applied including Biphasic Calcium Phosphate (BCP). Therefore, it is very essential to establish an animal model of alveolar bone defect to evaluate the progress of bone formation and the potential of materials before clinical application. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 18 white, male, healthy rabbits weighing 2.5 ± 0.2 kg, 8-to-10-week aged, divided into 2 groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (BCP). The alveolar bone defect formation was performed in 2 groups, then reconstructed with BCP (group 2). Evaluation of soft tissue healing characteristics in 2 groups after 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days after surgery and assessment of alveolar bone regeneration by X-ray and histological analysis after 2, 4, 6 weeks. Results: Healing score in each group increased gradually from day 1 to day 14, having statistical significance from day 5. Healing score of 2 groups tended to increase gradually in order: control group < BCP group (p > 0.05). X-ray scores in each group increased from week 2 to week 6, with statistical significance at week 6 (p < 0.05). X-ray scores of 2 groups tended to increase in order: the control group < BCP group (p > 0.05). New connective tissue formed in the control group reached the highest at week 4 and decreased after week 6 (p < 0.05). New bone formation in each group increased statistically from week 2 to week 6. The amount of newly formed bone in BCP group was significantly higher than in control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The above established model allows us to evaluate the capability of the bone regeneration of various materials. In addition, BCP is a potential material which can be used to reconstruct alveolar bone defects in patients