Evaluation of the periodontal and pulpal healing of replanted rat molars with doxycycline root conditioning

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate periodontal and pulpal healing in replanted rat teeth, preserved under different storage conditions, with or without root conditioning using doxycycline. METHODS: A total of 40 maxillary first molars extracted from 20 Sprague-Dawley rats were stored for different durations under different conditions (5 minutes in dry storage and 60 minutes in Hank's balanced salt solution [HBSS]) and subsequently replanted. The rats were divided into 2 groups based on the use of root surface treatment the doxycycline group (root surface treated with doxycycline) and the control group (no doxycycline treatment). Eight weeks after replantation, the animals were sacrificed, and the teeth were evaluated using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histomorphometric analysis. RESULTS: In the micro-CT analysis, the doxycycline group showed the same rate of occurrence of periapical radiolucency as was observed in the control group, but a lower degree of root resorption in teeth replanted after 60 minutes of storage in HBSS (P<0.05). In the histomorphometric analysis, the doxycycline group exhibited no improvement in either pulpal or periodontal healing of the replanted tooth after 5 minutes of dry storage, but showed a lower grade of surface root resorption (1.37±0.77) and inflammatory resorption in the teeth stored for 60 minutes in HBSS (1.33±0.71). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, doxycycline improved the periodontal healing of replanted teeth stored for 60 minutes in HBSS, whereas doxycycline did not improve periodontal healing of replanted tooth after 5 minutes of dry storage. Within the limits of this study, doxycycline showed more favorable periodontal healing despite delayed replantation.