Effect of teriparatide on early sinus graft healing in the ovariectomized rabbit

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of administering intermittent parathyroid hormone 1-34 [teriparatide, (PTH)] on the maxillary sinus lift and bone grafting in osteoporotic rabbits induced by ovariectomy and glucocorticoid.

Ovariectomies were performed on 20 female New Zealand white rabbits that were randomly divided into two groups: (a) the PTH group (n = 10), in which 10 μg kg^-1  day^-1 PTH was injected subcutaneously 5 days a week for 5 weeks (from 1 week before until 4 weeks after sinus surgery), and (b) the saline group (n = 10), in which saline substituted PTH at the same dose, mode of administration, and duration. Bone grafting with bovine bone mineral was augmented into 13 sinuses, and bone grafts and implants were simultaneously performed in seven sinuses, in both groups. Animals were sacrificed at 4 weeks after surgery. To determine whether PTH was an effective treatment for osteoporosis, we measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of the right femur using micro-computed tomography and performed radiographic and histometric analyses of the maxillary sinus surgery site. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis.

It was found that BMD increased in the femur, whereas none of the radiographic and histometric parameters differed significantly between the groups in the sinus, while there were large interindividual variations within groups.

These findings suggest that intermittent PTH does not promote new bone formation in the augmented maxillary sinus of ovariectomized rabbits.