Response of mandibular condyles of juvenile and adult rats to abnormal occlusion and subsequent exemption

Abstract

Objective: The adaptation capacities of the mandibular condyle in response to mechanical stimuli might be different between juveniles and adults, but has not been compared. This study aimed to investigate whether abnormal molar occlusion and subsequent molar extraction could lead to different remodeling responses in the mandibular condyles of juvenile and adult rats.

Methods: Abnormal molar occlusion (AMO) was established in the 5- and 16-wk old rats by moving their maxillary left and mandibular right third molars distally. AMO was removed in the molar extraction group at 4 weeks but remained in the AMO group. All rats were sacrificed at 8 weeks. Micro-computed tomography, histomorphology, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR were adopted to evaluate the remodeling of condylar subchondral bone.

Results: Condylar subchondral bone loss and increased osteoclastic activities were observed in both juvenile and adult AMO groups, while increased osteoblastic activities were only seen in the juvenile AMO group. Decreased bone mineral density, bone volume fraction and trabecular thickness, but increased trabecular separation, number and surface of osteoclasts and mRNA levels of TRAP, cathepsin-K, RANKL in the juvenile AMO group were all reversed after molar extraction (all P<0.05). However, these parameters showed no difference between adult AMO and extraction groups (all P>0.05).

Conclusions: Abnormal molar occlusion led to degenerative remodeling in the mandibular condyles of both juvenile and adult rats, while exemption of abnormal occlusion caused significant rescue of the degenerative changes only in the juvenile rats.

Keywords: Abnormal occlusion; Condyle; Remodeling; Subchondral bone; Temporomandibular joint (TMJ).