Resorption of residual ridges (RRR) in rats

The post-extraction resorption of residual ridges (RRR) is a major and largely unsolved health problem, probably of multifactorial etiology. In order for one to study the role of specific factors in the pathophysiology of RRR, the use of animal models is desirable. The purpose of this study was to establish a reliable animal model and a standardized assay system to measure RRR for future experiments. A new oblique cephalometric device was designed to take pairs of xeroradiographs on the right and left sides of the rat skull and mandible at a 45-degree angle to the horizontal plane. Preliminary studies confirmed the reproducibility of the technique. All molars were extracted with minimal trauma from the right maxilla and mandible in five male Sprague-Dawley rats (40 days old). Longitudinal cephalographic examinations were performed before and immediately after extraction and at two, four, eight, and 12 weeks after extraction. Alveolar bone resorption was measured on enlarged cephalographs (5.7 X) at a point mesial to the mandibular first molar. Sequential mean bone resorption was 0.8 +/- 0.2 mm (S.D.), 1.0 +/- 0.3, 1.3 +/- 0.3, and 1.5 +/- 0.4, respectively. Graphically, these findings produced bone loss curves similar to those observed in man. These results indicate that the rat model may be utilized in longitudinal studies of the resorption of the residual ridge.