Evaluation of Vertical Guided Bone Regeneration Using a Particulate Form of Experimental Bioactive Glass in a Rabbit: A Case Report with Literature Review

Abstract

Background: There are a large number of different types of bone-grafting materials that are used for the regeneration of atrophied alveolar ridges in order to make dental implantation possible. However, available surgical techniques and materials for bone augmentation do not contribute to the achievement of the desired reliable results and require a search for new solutions to an existing problem. A group of synthetic osteoplastic materials based on bioactive glass (BAG) may become a matter of choice in bone tissue regeneration because of special osteogenic properties. The aim of this study was to visually and histologically evaluate the behavior of an experimental BAG in rabbit tibia bone samples, which were collected from the animal 6 weeks after filling the bone defects. Methods and Results: The observation was carried out on one outbred rabbit whose tibia bone defects were filled with an experimental osteoplastic material based on the BAG. The chemical composition of the experimental osteoplastic material included SiO2 (41%), Na2O (21%), CaO (28.5%), P2O5 (6%), CaF2 (1.5%), MgO (1%), Al2O3 (1%). For histological analysis, H&E staining of paraffin-embedded tissues was performed according to the standard technique. Light microscopy of tissue samples was performed using a Leitz HM-LUX microscope (Germany). Six weeks after filling the bone defects, a strong bond between the augmented hard tissue and rabbit tibia was recognized. Also, a dense fusion of adjacent soft tissues with a newly formed bone without signs of chronic inflammation or graft particles in granular tissue was noted. Microscopic examination of the stained sections showed the presence of mature viable BT with a uniform distribution of osteocytes. Also, residual fragments of the degraded biomaterial surrounded by the fibers of a woven bone were revealed in several slices. Conclusion: In accordance with the results of this experiment, it can be concluded that the usage of BAG related to the system SiO2(41%)-Na2O(21%)-CaO(28.5%)-P2O5(6%)-CaF2(1.5%)-MgO(1%)-Al2O3(1%) may increase the volume of bone without application of barrier membrane. However, further research involving more animals needs to be done to estimate the scientific significance of the obtained data and to evaluate the mechanical properties of augmented bone.