2005 Volume 68 Issue 1 Pages 120-129
When a tooth is avulsed out as a result of trauma, the residual periodontium can be preserved for a short period of time if it is placed in a suitable storage solution as soon as possible. This is an important factor for successful replantation. We investigated the viability of the periodontium with regard to changes in the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which is a marker enzyme for calcification. We used human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells and two readily available storage solutions : pasteurized milk and physiological saline. For comparison, we used the culture solution Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM). In addition, because tooth replantation should be performed as soon as possible, the duration of storage was kept short, ranging between 30 and 360 minutes. The results showed that although ALP activity decreased after 30 minutes in all three storage solutions, in milk it increased after 240 minutes and in DMEM it increased markedly after 60 minutes. However, the ALP activity in physiological saline decreased with time and did not recover. The relationship between storage time (30 or 120 minutes) and PDL proliferation was also investigated. The results showed that on day 10 of culture, the ALP activity was greatest for PDL cells that had been stored in DMEM for between 30 and 120 minutes. This was followed by PDL cells that had been stored in milk. In addition, when the morphology of cells was observed, complete recovery was seen in the ALP activity of PDL cells that had been stored in either DMEM or milk. However, ALP activity was low with physiological saline, and morphological analysis revealed little cell proliferation. The above findings confirm that milk is an effective storage solution for PDL cells, and may facilitate recalcification of periodontal cells following replantation.
