Research Project
8978238
? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The health of the oral cavity depends on the alveolar bone, which may be compromised by: loss of morphology (decrease in height/width) or decreased density. Treatments for alveolar bone loss are the application of bone grafts and placement of implants. Only a small percentage of population is able to afford treatment. This suggests the majority of the population is exposed to the side effects of progressive alveolar bone loss with significant impact in the quality of life. The current project will investigate the effect of high frequency acceleration (HFA) on alveolar bone in animal models of pathological conditions. Specific Aim 1: To determine the preservation effect of HFA on alveolar bone morphology. An extraction model will be used that mimics the significant decrease in width and height alveolar bone in a short period of time. The company will engineer a device to will study the effect of HFA on the quantity and quality of alveolar bone of rats after extraction at two phases: the bone healing phase and the post-healing phase when the majority of bone loss occurs. Alveolar bone density and morphology will be evaluated by microCT. Osteogenic effect of HFA will be examined using fluorescent and FTIR microspectroscopy, while anti-resorptive effect of HFA will be investigated by osteoclasts immunohistochemical staining (TRAP and Catapsin K). Activation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts markers will be further analyzed at protein and gene expression levels, and by detailed immunohistochemical analysis. Specific Aim 2: To determine the regenerative effects of HFA on alveolar bone density. To study the therapeutic effect of HFA on alveolar bone density, an osteoporosis model will be used that shows a significant decrease in alveolar bone density in a short period of time. Osteogenic and anti-resorptive effects of HFA will be studied in the short and long-term studies. Bone response will be evaluated at the tissue level by microCT, FTIR microspectroscopy, fluorescent microscopy and immunohistochemical analysis, and at the molecular level by analyzing gene expression and protein activity of markers of osteoblast and osteoclast activity. This investigation could have an enormous impact in the field of clinical dentistry and on quality of lie for millions of edentulous patients. Not only it will establish a non-invasive approach to preserve healthy bone in the jaws, but also it will offer an extremely effective method to recover bone density that has been lost to different pathological conditions. In addition, this method may be used as adjunct therapy to implant integration or graft healing, or any other procedure where a strong osteogenic response is needed.
