Abstract
FIn cleft palate surgery, mucoperiosteal denudation of palatal bone is considered an important inhibiting factor of maxillary growth. This study investigated the effects of local injection of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) into wounds on ultrastructural changes in the bone surface during the palatal wound healing process. Ninety male 20-day-old Wistar rats were divided into control, scar formation, and bFGF groups had lateral mucoperiosteum excised from the palate. In the bFGF group, bFGF solution was injected into the operated area one week after excision. In each of the three groups, the wound healing process was histologically investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy at 4, 6, and 10 weeks postoperatively. Compared with the controls, the scar formation and the bFGF groups showed few smaller diameter vascular pores on the bone surface at 4 weeks. Thereafter the bFGF group showed increases in the number and diameter of vascular pores along with periosteum-like cell aggregations on the bone surface. In conclusion, the bFGF injection into palatal wounds increases the number and size of vascular pores and regenerates the periosteum on the bone surface during wound healing. This pharmaceutical modulation may reduce bone growth inhibition induced by mucoperiosteal denudation of the palate.
