The effect of indomethacin on experimental dental periapical lesions in rats

The role of prostaglandins in the pathogenesis of dental granulomas and associated bone loss was studied by testing the ability of indomethacin, a potent inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, to influence bone resorption in experimentally induced dental granulomas. The cusps of maxillary first molar teeth of Sprague-Dawley rats were ground away, exposing the dental pulps to the oral environment. Daily i.p. injections of 0.1 to 0.2 ml of indomethacin (10 mg per kg) dissolved in 95% ethyl alcohol were administered to one group of the rats while the other group received i.p. injections of 0.1 to 0.2 ml of 95% ethyl alcohol. The rats were killed after 6 wk and specimens of the molar teeth and surrounding jaw bone were taken for routine histopathological processing. The specimens from indomethacin-treated rats demonstrated milder inflammatory changes and a significantly lower degree of periapical alveolar bone resorption. These results support the suggestion that prostaglandins are involved in the events leading to bone resorption in dental periapical lesions.