Periosteum: its role in the healing of dento-alveolar surgical wounds and the effect of mental nerve section on mandibular periosteal new bone.

This two-part study investigated the osteogenic potential of rat mandibular periosteum. In the first part, the importance of the periosteum as an osteogenic source in the healing of dentoalveolar surgical wounds was evaluated. A circumscribed bone defect was created in the buccal aspect of the right mandible of each animal and the overlying periosteum was excised in half of the animals. After sacrifice at a representative range of times between two and 60 days, histological examination of the surgical sites suggested that mandibular periosteum overlying a bone defect did not produce new bone and that healing was largely endosteal. It was noted that periosteum formed copious reactive bone away from the defect, the majority being on the buccal mandibular surface although some was noted also on the lingual aspect. In the second part, the effect of mental nerve neurotmesis on deposition of reactive bone was investigated. The mental nerve was sectioned in half of the animals and left intact in the other half. The flap was replaced and sutured. Subsequent histological examination indicated that mental nerve neurotmesis did not influence the deposition of mandibular reactive bone.