Abstract
Aims: The present study designed to assess the effects of a bone substitute consisting of β-Tricalcium Phosphate (β-TCP) on acceleration of bone healing of surgically created defects. Materials and Methods: Ten rabbits were included in the study. Before the operation, each rabbit was weighed and given anesthesia accordingly. Surgery was performed under aseptic conditions. The left and right mandibles were exposed through a sub-mandibular incision. Two rectangular full thickness defects (10×5 mm) were created in each side. The anterior defect was left untreated to serve as a control while the posterior one was filled with β-TCP in each side. Five rabbits were sacrificed one week after surgery and the other five rabbits were sacrificed one month after surgery. The bony mandibles were dissected from the heads and immediately immersed in 10% formalin solution and sent for histological analyses. Results: Microscopic examination of the experimental section of one week group showed more organization, lesser degree of inflammatory cell infiltrate, and more granulation tissue formation than the control group. Similarly, microscopic sections from the experimental osseous defects taken at 1 month interval showed more pronounced callus formation than the control group. Conclusions: βtricalcium phosphate accelerate bony healing at both one week and one month interval which is especially important in dental implants and in oral and maxillofacial reconstruction, for both the functional and psychological aspect.
