RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Nutritional aggravations during pregnancy or during the early stages of postnatal development can impair bone development; thus, we aimed to assess the effects of food restriction on the dental alveolar bone repair process using histometric analysis. DESIGN: Thirty-six Wistar rats were divided into three groups: (C) 12 pups were obtained from control mothers with food intake at ease; (GR) 12 pups from mothers subjected to 70% food restriction during pregnancy; (PNR) 50% of maternal food restriction during lactation and 50% of restriction for the 12 pups after weaning. At three months of age, the upper right incisor was extracted from the pups. After 14 or 28 days, the pups were sacrificed for evaluation of newly formed bone area (NB) and total bone area (TA) in the medial and apical thirds of the alveolus. RESULTS: In the apical third of the alveolus, the ratio of NB/TA was greater at 28 days for all groups and there was no damage to any of the groups. In the medial third, the ratio was higher at 28 days for the C and GR groups. The PNR group did not show an evolution of alveolar dental repair. Compared between the thirds, all groups exhibited a higher percentage of newly formed bone in the medial third area, at any time point after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of the total alveolar area covered by newly formed bone (NB/TA) revealed a late preference in the process of alveolar repair in the medial third, although only in the PNR group.
