Exercise Improves Periodontal Repair Following Ligature-induced Periodontitis in Rats

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory condition that involves bone resorption and leads to tooth loss. This study aimed to evaluate the biological plausibility of exercise's potential impact on periodontal repair in rats. Forty-eight male Wistar rats received cotton ligatures around the lower first molars bilaterally. After 7 days, all animals were allocated to the following groups: control (ligature removal), early treatment (ligature removal+exercise) and late treatment (exercise alone for 28 days and then ligature removal; n=16 per group). All groups were evaluated at 28 and 56 days. Swimming exercise was performed 5 days/wk. Mandibles, blood and gingiva were collected for radiographic, histological and inflammatory analysis using multiplex. At 56 days, both exercise groups showed significantly lower bone loss compared to the control group. Histological analysis revealed that early treatment promoted increased percentages of fibroblasts and blood vessels. Late treatment provided statistically higher serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels than early treatment or control groups. In gingiva, the epidermal growth factor level was significantly higher in the exercise groups compared to the control. In conclusion, late or early treatment including exercise improved bone repair in rats, possibly through growth factor modulation.