RESUMO
Prior studies have shown that it is necessary to place ligatures around molars to study periodontal destruction in rats. The present research aims to examine a periodontal disease model in which specific pathogen-free Wistar rats are orally exposed to Porphyromonas gingivalis associated with Fusobacterium nucleatum. Periodontitis was induced by specific infection with P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum. Twenty adult male Wistar rats were divided into two groups. The control animals were not infected. The experimental animals were repeatedly infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum for one week. For the next three weeks, the animals were repeatedly infected with P. gingivalis alone. The distance from the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest of the second molar was measured at different sites: buccal-distal (d), buccal-furcation region (f), buccal-mesial (h), and area region. The Mann-Whitney test was applied (p<0.001). The results showed that all values obtained were significantly greater in the infected group. Infected group values for the measures d, f, h, and area were 0.41 mm, 0.46 mm, 0.67mm, and 1.04 mm2, respectively, while in the control group, values for the measures d, f, h, and area were0.19 mm, 0.26 mm, 0.26 mm, 0.88 mm2, respectively. Our study showed that four weeks following infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum bone loss in Wistar rats could be identified.