Histological studies on the effects of tooth brushing on repair of alveolar bone after periodontal osseous surgery in the rat incisor.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of tooth brushing on repair of alveolar bone after periodontal osseous surgery in the labial alveolar bone of rat incisor. The surgery was performed on 24 Wistar rats divided into 2 groups: the experimental group, which was subjected to tooth brushing, and the control group, which was not. In the experimental group, daily tooth brushing was initiated at 4 weeks after surgery. The rats were sacrificed after 1 or 2 weeks of tooth brushing. Microradiographic, light and fluorescence microscopic examinations were made of sections of the alveolar bone and its surrounding tissue. After 1 week of tooth brushing, callus with a low degree of mineralization and with large, irregularly arranged, young osteocytes appeared in the superficial layer and crest portion of alveolar bone in the brushing region. Numerous blood vessels had invaded the callus. In this region, the height of osteoblasts on the callus surface increased. At the alveolar crest region, the callus was approximately 3 times thicker than in the superficial region. After 2 weeks of tooth brushing, modification had occurred in the callus; this region had evolved into developed bone with a compact matrix. These findings suggest that the intermittent mechanical stress of tooth brushing is useful in activating the cells of the alveolar periosteum and in stimulating bone formation.