Quantification of periapical bone destruction in mice by micro-computed tomography

Area of Science:

• Oral Biology
• Biomedical Imaging
• Pathogenesis Research

Background:

• Bacterial dental pulp infections cause significant tissue destruction and periapical bone loss.
• Genetically engineered mouse models are valuable for studying periapical pathogenesis.
• Traditional histological analysis for quantifying bone destruction in mouse models is laborious and invasive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) as a rapid, non-invasive method for quantifying periapical bone destruction.
• To compare the accuracy of micro-CT with traditional histological analysis in mouse models of dental infection.

Main Methods:

• Periapical lesions were induced in mouse molars by pulp exposure.
• Mandibles were analyzed using micro-CT with 17-microm resolution.
• Histological analysis was performed on decalcified, embedded, and sectioned samples.
• Cross-sectional areas of periapical lesions were quantified and compared between micro-CT and histology.

Main Results:

• A highly significant correlation (p < 0.0001) was found between micro-CT and histology for quantifying periapical bone destruction.
• Mean differences between micro-CT and histology were minimal (4.1%).
• Micro-CT demonstrated high reproducibility with low variability (3.4%) in replicate determinations.

Conclusions:

• Micro-computed tomography is a rapid, reproducible, and non-invasive imaging technique for quantifying periapical bone destruction.
• Micro-CT results closely comparable to histology, making it a valuable tool for small biological specimens.
• This technology enhances the study of bone architecture changes in periapical pathogenesis research.