Effect of body weight in the pathogenesis of ligature-induced periodontal disease in Wistar rats

Objective. The aim of this study was to compare ligature-induced alveolar bone loss between obese and non-obese rats. Material and methods. Thirty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: a test group comprising 14 rats fed with a cafeteria diet'' for 120 days in order to gain weight and a control group comprising 16 regularly fed rats. Ligatures were placed around the 2nd upper molars, and the contralateral teeth served as intra-group controls. After 30 days, the animals were killed and the maxillae were removed. Sodium hypochlorite was used to prepare the specimens, and the cementum-enamel junction was stained with methylene blue 1%. Morphometric analysis of alveolar bone loss was by standardized digital photographs and the distance between the cementum-enamel junction and the alveolar bone crest was measured using the software Image Tool 3.0. Results. Body weight differed statistically between test and controls (268.6 and 242.4 g, respectively). Test animals demonstrated a mean (SD) alveolar bone loss of 0.51 (0.11) mm and in the controls 0.52 (0.14) mm in teeth with ligatures. No statistically significant differences were observed (ANOVA + Tukey), except for teeth with and without ligatures in both groups. Conclusions. The establishment and progression of alveolar bone loss in rats was not influenced by body weight in the present study.