Background

Alveolar atrophy has been a major problem in achieving successful oral rehabilitation with endosseous implants. Distraction osteogenesis (DO), a surgical-orthopedic technique to lengthen a bone by separating or distracting a fractured callus, has been clinically applied to augment the alveolar ridge vertically.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) on the bone repair and regeneration processes after DO upon canine mandible.

Methods

Five adult beagle dogs were employed for this study. Their right mandibles were designated as the tested group, and the left mandibles a control group. The distraction was undertaken at the rate of 1 millimeter a day for 10 consecutive days to yield 10 millimeters lengthening of mandibular corpus. EMD was injected to the tested group at the site of lengthened bone. At 1, 3, 6, 9 weeks after DO, bone mineral densities at the site of lengthened bone were measured by quantitative computed tomography.

Results

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the experimental group was higher than in the control group during consolidation period. Especially, BMD of 1 and 3 weeks during consolidation period was expressed a statistical significance of p < 0.05. Histologically, more compact new bone was generated in tested group. Newly formed bone is arranged multidirectional manner.

Conclusion

New bone formation and early bony consolidation was stimulated using EMD on DO. EMD have the possibility of shortening the period of implant treatment through the use of DO.