Sika deer antler as a novel model to investigate dental implant healing: A pilot experimental study.
Yun HeDominik FischerIstabrak HasanWerner GötzLudger KeiligLuisa ZieglerMarkus AbboudChristoph BourauelGerhard WahlPublished in: PloS one (2018)
Dental implants are important tools for restoring the loss of teeth. The rapid growth and periodic regeneration of antlers make Sika deer a good and less invasive alternative model for studying bone remodelling in mammals. We developed a special loading device for antlers and analysed the bone reaction around unloaded implants and under immediate loading conditions until osseointegration occurred. In micro-computed tomography images, the density of antler tissue around the implants increased as the loading time increased. This finding was histologically confirmed by the good osseointegration observed in unloaded and loaded specimens. Antler tissue displays a similar healing process to human bone. The use of an antler model is a promising alternative for implant studies that does not require animal sacrifice.
Keyphrases
- soft tissue
- computed tomography
- bone mineral density
- stem cells
- bone loss
- drug delivery
- randomized controlled trial
- bone regeneration
- postmenopausal women
- optical coherence tomography
- body composition
- magnetic resonance
- clinical trial
- study protocol
- convolutional neural network
- machine learning
- oral health
- image quality
- loop mediated isothermal amplification