Short-term effect of guided bone regeneration and electrical stimulation on bone growth in a surgically modelled resorbed dog mandibular ridge.

Abstract

This study compares the quantitative bone changes that occur in attempting to augment a resorbed mandibular ridge by electrical stimulation and by the guided bone regeneration technique. At the base line three defects resembling an atrophic ridge were created in the mandible of 5 beagle dogs. Concomitantly, a constant current generator producing 20 +/- 2 mA was implanted under the floor of the mouth. Six weeks later a titanium cathode was inserted in the first bony defect and connected to the generator (electrical stimulation = ES); another titanium cathode, not connected to the generator, was inserted in the second defect (non-electrical stimulation = non-ES); the third defect remained without an electrical device (membrane only = MO). All 3 defects were covered with an expanded polytetrafluorethylene membrane, so as to prevent soft tissue proliferation into the defects. Tetracycline bone labelling compounds were administered to mark new bone formation. Four weeks following stimulation, ground sections were prepared for fluorescent microscopy. Differences between ES vs MO and between non-ES vs MO mean scores were statistically significant, indicating that 4 weeks of electrical stimulation resulted in similar bone formation as with non- electrical stimulation when both are confined to a membrane isolated defects.