A histomorphometric study of alveolar bone modeling and remodeling under experimental anaemia and polycythaemia in rats.

UNLABELLED: Alveolar bone is the least stable of the periodontal tissues, because it is subjected to continuous modeling and remodeling. OBJECTIVE: To perform a histological and histomorphometric evaluation of bone modeling and remodeling of periodontal alveolar bone under experimental anaemia and polycythaemia. METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control (C), animals were i.p. injected with 0.5 mL of saline solution; anaemia (A), animals were injected with 6 mg/100 b.w. of phenylhydrazine every 48 h; polycythaemia (P), animals were transfused with 2.5 mL/100 b.w. of 80% suspension of homologous erythrocytes. All the animals were sacrificed 14 days after the onset of the experiment. The mandibles were resected, fixed in formalin, radiographed, processed and embedded in paraffin. Bucco-lingually oriented sections were obtained at the level of the mesial root of the first lower molar, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Histological and histomorphometric studies were performed on the buccal and lingual plates of periodontal alveolar bone. RESULTS: Histological and histomorphometric studies showed a statistically significant decrease in bone formation both in buccal and lingual plates in group A (anaemia) as compared to group C (control). An increase in active bone formation was found in the lingual plate in group P (polycythaemia) as compared to group C (control). CONCLUSION: The results obtained using this experimental model evidenced alterations in bone modeling and remodeling under conditions of anaemia and polycythaemia and/or associated factors.