2005 Volume 68 Issue 1 Pages 21-33
We evaluated the healing process of experimental periodontal tissue defects in rats after the application of enamel matrix derivative (EMD). Palatal dehiscence defects were surgically created on the bilateral maxillary first molars in forty rats. EMD was applied to cover both sides of the denuded dentin surfaces in the experimental group, while none was applied in the control group. Rats were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery, and biopsies of the tooth, gingiva and bone were examined for the appearance and kinetics of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive cells by histopathology, histometrical and enzyme-histochemistry. In the experimental group, there were more TRAP-positive cells on the new bone surfaces and the denuded dentin surfaces, and the rate of bone regeneration and limited junctional epithelial down growth were also greater than in the control group. These findings suggest that TRAP-positive cells have the potential to promote new attachment formation and new bone formation.
