Effect of lyophilized autologous plasma on periodontal healing of replanted teeth

The purpose of this histologic and autoradiographic study of replanted teeth was to evaluate the beneficial effect, if any, of lyophilized autologous plasma (LAP) application on periodontal healing and to re-examine rates of repair in different areas of the associated periodontium following replantation. Maxillary and mandibular incisors and premolars of three rhesus monkeys were used. Teeth were extracted with forceps and placed in sterile physiologic saline. After 5 minutes each tooth was returned to its socket and immobilized by interproximal acid-etch splints. Splints were removed after 1 week. Of the 48 replants performed, 24 (controls) were replanted as described. Of the 24 experimental teeth, during the 5 minute interval between tooth extraction and replantation, the root surface and the inner socket walls were bathed with 1 ml of the reconstituted LAP-saline solution (800 mg/ml). Replants and animal sacrifice were scheduled to provide observations at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 45 days following replantation. One hour prior to sacrifice, each monkey received an intravenous injection of tritiated thymidine, 1 microCi/gm body weight. Tissue specimens were processed for evaluation following standard procedures. Eight replanted teeth were available for evaluation for each of the six time-points. Four teeth were treated with LAP and four without it. Histologically, tissue sections were examined for epithelial proliferation and attachment, periodontal fibers organization and maturation, inflammatory cell types, presence or absence of cementum resorption and dentoalveolar ankylosis and degree of vascularity of the tissues. For autoradiographic evaluation, the periodontium associated with the replanted tooth was divided into nine spatial cell compartments. In each compartment, labeled tissue cells, epithelial or connective, were counted and recorded. Differences between the control (untreated) replanted teeth and the LAP-treated teeth, at each time-point and within each compartment, were analyzed for significance using the paired t-test. The findings of this study indicate that LAP use enhanced healing by early replacement of the fibrin clot, increased connective tissue cell proliferation, reduction of the inflammatory response and inhibition of root cementum resorption. Periodontal healing and repair occurred more rapidly in the supracrestal or transseptal connective tissue region than within the periodontal membrane space.