2002 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 207-215
The application of enamel matrix derivative(EMD)has recently been reported to be effective in periodontal regeneration. EMD appears to induce both periodontal tissue and calcified tissue. EMD has been recognized to be useful in tooth replantation and autotransplantation, both experimentally and clinically.
Dental implant and autotransplantation have been used in the recovery of missing teeth. These procedures may also be effective for orthodontic treatment.
The objective of the present study was to determine if EMD could stimulate the regenerative potential of connective tissue, such as periodontium,dental pulp and calcified tissue such as cementum,alveolar bone after intentional replantation of teeth.
In 4 male adolescent Beagle dogs, bilateral maxillary and mandibular first premolars(P1)were extracted, by the same operator, with forceps, and they were re-implanted in the presence or absence of EMD. Splinting was performed for a week after replantation, and the animals were fed a soft diet during the entire experimental period. All of the animals were sacrificed at 21 weeks after replantation, and dissected specimens around maxillary and mandibular premolars were decalcified by a conventional method. The specimens from both jaws were cut sagittally, including the crown cusp and root apex of P 1 and P 2, and tissue sections were evaluated histologically. Using each tissue section,the clinical crown root ratio was determined, and the root resorption rate was defined as the area of root resorption/total root area including cementum×100(%),and was calculated by two-dimensional computer analysis.
Statistically significant differences were found between EMD-treated and EMD-nontreated groups in the root resorption rate and the clinical crown root ratio. In addition, the replanted dental pulp treated by EMD seemed to be histologically the same as the dental pulp of the neighboring control tooth(P2). This finding was quite different from EMD-nontreated replanted dental pulp.
These results suggest that the application of EMD into the intentional replanted root surface stimulates the regenerative potential of connective tissue, such as periodontium and dental pulp, as well as calcified tissue, such as cementum and alveolar bone.
