Experimental model of reconstruction in mandibular defect in rabbit

This paper aims to present a new experimental model of mandibular defect reconstruction in rabbits. It was used 14 animals, in which, in a first stage the left permanent inferior incisive tooth was extracted surgically. After a 50 days period for the bone to fulfill the dentary alveolus, surgery was performed. At first, a 10x5x5mm autograft was removed form the iliac crest, following a partial mandibular failure in the bone with the same auto graft size which was filled with the graft and fixed using titanium microplate. The rabbits were submitted to clinical and radiographic evaluation and 7 of them were euthanasiated at 15 days and the other 7 at 30 days to macro and microscopic analysis. The water and commercial food ingestion was not compromised, and the animals did not showed any chewing or apprehension difficulties, neither pain. Only one animal presented rejection to one screw, without occurring micro plate nor auto graft dislocation. This method showed to be efficient for an experimental model of reconstruction in mandibular defects of rabbits, demonstrating a healing evolution of the graft through radiographic, macroscopic and microscopic exams in 15th and 30th days.

jaw; surgery; graft; bucomaxillofacial; microplate