The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using apatite blocks fabricated by a dissolution⁻precipitation reaction of preset gypsum, with or without statin, to enhance bone formation during socket healing after tooth extraction. Preset gypsum blocks were immersed in a Na₃PO₄ aqueous solution to make hydroxyapatite (HA) low crystalline and HA containing statin (HAFS), or in a mixed solution of Na₂HPO₄ and NaHCO₃ to make carbonate apatite (CO) and CO containing statin (COFS). The right mandibular incisors of four-week-old male Wistar rats were extracted and the sockets were filled with one of the bone substitutes or left untreated as a control (C). The animals were sacrificed at two and four weeks. Areas in the healing socket were evaluated by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histological analyses. The bone volume, trabecular thickness, and trabecular separation were greatest in the COFS group, followed by the CO, HAFS, HA, and C groups. The bone mineral density of the COFS group was greater than that of the other groups when evaluated in the vertical plane. The results of this study suggest that COFS not only allowed, but also promoted, bone healing in the socket. This finding could be applicable for alveolar bone preservation after tooth extraction.
Keywords: bone substitute; carbonate apatite; micro-CT; rat mandibular incisor; tooth extraction.