Experimental study on demineralized bone matrix (DBM) and coral as bone graft substitutes in maxillofacial surgery

Three different bone substitutes were implanted in a standardized nasal bone defect in 30 Wistar rats. The results were assessed at 2 months by macroscopic examination, contact radiography, and histologic analysis. Demineralized osseous implants sterilized by ethylene oxide induced bone formation in 90% of the the cases, as no heat-treated graft showed any bone formation. Coralline grafts were osteointegrated in 50% of the cases, but osteoconduction was not sufficient to achieve complete bone repair. This study implies that ethylene oxide sterilization does not impair biologic properties of demineralized grafts, but further studies on more evolved animal species are necessary before human implantation.