A histomorphometrical study of the effects of ethanol on enamel formation in rat mandibular molars during pregnancy

ABSTRACT

The consumption of alcohol during pregnancy causes fetal congenital malformations, including craniofacial and orodental defects, as a result of interference with normal embryonic development. In this work, we examined the effects of alcohol on tooth development and enamel formation in rats. Alcohol was administered to female rats in the drinking water starting at a concentration of 1% followed by weekly increases to 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. In the seventh week, the rats were mated and continued to receive 25% alcohol until delivery. On postnatal day 5, three offsprings of each mother were killed and their hemimandibules removed, processed and embedded in araldite. Sections 1 µm thick were cut and stained with 1% toluidine blue and histomorphometric analysis of the dental germ and enamel matrix was done. During the postnatal period, the body weights of the offspring from treated dams were significantly smaller than the controls. In addition, the relative volumes of the tooth germ and enamel matrix were always smaller in the offspring of dams treated with alcohol. These results indicated that the ingestion of alcohol during pregnancy interfered with the development of the tooth germ and the secretion of the enamel matrix.