The effects of desalivation on periodontal tissues of the Syrian hamster

Abstract

Sixty hamsters were used to study the effects of desalivation on the incidence of periodontal lesions under three different dietary regimens. The desalivated animals consistently showed a greater number and extent of periodontal lesions in the soft and calcified tissues than their controls. Highly statistically significant differences were observed between the lesions of the control animals and those of the desalivated animals. The consistency and composition of diet seemed to play a role in the production of periodontal lesions in the hamster. High-carbohydrate, finely powdered, cariogenic ration 4 produced a greater number and extent of soft-and calcified-tissue lesions than either the laboratory chow or the ground laboratory chow. Ground laboratory chow produced a greater number and extent of lesions than laboratory chow in pellet form. The effects of the diets on the soft tissues appeared to be more severe than on the calicified tissues. The microscopic findings substantiated the gross observations. The desalivated animals showed histologic changes of greater severity than the intact controls. The pronounced changes in the desalivated animals were apical migration of the epithelial attachment and the presence of epithelium at the interradicular area. The control and desalivated animals fed ration 4 showed severe osteoporosis, possibly due to the nutritional inadequacy of the diet.