Effects of calcium phosphate ceramic bone graft materials on permanent teeth eruption in beagles

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of calcium phosphate ceramic (CPC) materials as a potential alternative to autogenous secondary alveolar bone grafting in cleft lip and palate patients who are in mixed dentition.

Four 12-week-old beagles and one 15-week-old beagle were used as subjects.

In each experimental beagle, the third and fourth deciduous premolars were extracted. The sockets were filled with four different CPC materials and sutured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The beagles were fed a soft diet for the following 8 weeks and then sacrificed for clinical, radiological, histological, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and infrared (IR) absorption analysis.

All four experimental graft materials allowed normal development and eruption of permanent premolars. In histological sections, small particles of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) and carbonate apatite (CO(3)-AP) were resorbed, and large particulate forms served as bone frames in cortical bones. Polymer coated with carbonate apatite (Poly/CO(3)-AP) did not cause inflammation but was pushed away to the soft tissue by erupting teeth. Alginate coated with carbonate apatite (alginate/CO(3)-AP) caused a severe inflammatory reaction to the point of destroying a part of the dental follicle and cortical bone. In TEM, resorption activity by phagocytic cells was observed only in CO(3)-AP. Direct bonding of CO(3)-AP to the bone was observed as the electron-dense interface between bone and CO(3)-AP.

BCP and CO(3)-AP proved to be suitable as alveolar bone graft materials in areas where tooth eruption occurs. Of the four materials tested, CO(3)-AP produced the best results.