In-vivo Assessment of Osseous Wound Healing Using Bone Putty in the Surgical Management of Tooth Extractions

Objective. This pilot study evaluated the systemic, radiographic and histological responses to bone putty containing lidocaine in a tooth extraction model in dogs. Background. Earlier research has shown that digestive enzymes tend to remain stable for individual mice over a lifetime when measured at the same point of a digestive cycle, but may differ widely among mice, even mice with close genetic bonds, e.g., siblings. To date, no explanation of this difference has been proposed. Methods. In five beagle dogs the right mandibular premolars were extracted and sockets grafted with either: 1) xenograft particulate bone and a collagen sponge plug (control), 2) bone putty alone, 3) bone putty mixed with xenograft (3:1), and 4) xenograft sandwiched between bone putty. After 6 weeks, the systemic and local responses were evaluated using a blood chemistry panel, microCT and histological analysis. Results. No significant differences in blood chemistries were noted at 6 weeks post-grafting compared to baseline. Sockets grafted with either of the bone putty formulations demonstrated comparable radiographic and histologic evidence of bone healing compared to control sockets. Conclusion. Our pre-clinical results indicate that 12 this bone putty is a safe, biocompatible device that may be useful in the post-operative management of tooth extractions. Grants. This study was funded by an unrestricted grant from Orthocon, Inc., Colts Neck, NJ, USA