The correlation of replicating cells and osteogenesis in the condyle during stepwise advancement

The aim of this study was to quantify the number of replicating mesenchymal cells and to correlate it to the amount of bone formation in the condyle during stepwise advancement of the mandible. Two hundred and fifty female Spraque-Dawley rats, 35 days old, were randomly divided into 10 control groups (n = 5) and 20 experimental groups (n = 10). Fifty rats from the stepwise experimental group relieved a two-mm advancement initially and veneers were added on day 30 with another 1.5 mm advancement. The rats were sacrificed after 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 33, 37, 44, 51, and 60 days. One hour before death, all rats were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) intravenously. Tissue sections of seven microm were cut through the condyle in the sagittal plane and stained with anti-BrdU antibody to evaluate the number of replicating mesenchymal cells. Haematoxylin stain was applied to observe cellular response. The results indicated that during the first advancement, replicating mesenchymal cells in the posterior region of the condyle showed the highest increase on days 7 and 14 when compared with the control. Such an increase preceded the highest level of bone formation between days 30 and 37 of advancement. In response to the second advancement, another increase of replicating cells was evident on day 44, along with a significant increase in bone formation observed on day 60. We concluded that forward positioning of mandible in a stepwise manner delivers a mechanical strain that solicits an increase in the number of replicating mesenchymal cells in the condyle. The increase in the population size of the osteoprogenitor cells subsequently leads to more bone formation.