Preclinical Oral Histology Research: A Retrospective Review Study

Abstract

A retrospective study was conducted to identify factors that improve prospective animal studies; contribute to the optimization of animal protection from all unnecessary and preventable damage. Preclinical oral histology research from 2010–2020 was evaluated and 64 studies were reviewed relating to two interventions: bone trauma and surgical incision. The harm-benefit analysis is featured in this study through the application of the recent form of Bateson’s Cube. Depending on its three axes, we can assess animal suffering, the likelihood of benefit, and the importance of research. The total number of animals used in the research was 2685. Rats, 51.6%, and rabbits, 48.4%, are the most commonly used animals. Research related to bone healing accounts for about 65.6%, while research related to wound healing 34.4%. The expert panel's estimate of animal suffering revealed that 57.8% had moderate animal suffering; 39.1% had mild suffering, and only 3.1% had severe suffering. Results revealed that hard tissue studies get more citations, 77.88% more than soft tissue-related research. However, the soft tissue studies showed more concordance between preclinical and clinical studies. Continual efforts should be made to assure that when animals are involved in research, each study is well-designed, well-analyzed, and clearly published.