ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

European Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 2022 April;6(1):1-5

DOI: 10.23736/S2532-3466.21.00271-X

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Effect of gradual mandibular bone contraction in an experimental model in rabbits

Guadalupe CASTILLO-CARDIEL ¹, Francisco J. GALVEZ-GASTELUM ², Irinea YÁÑEZ-SÁNCHEZ ², Andrea E. CUETO-VALADEZ ³, Tania A. CUETO-VALADEZ ³, Itzel OCHOA-RODRÍGUEZ ³, Rodrigo NÁJAR-HINOJOSA ³, Luis R. CIFUENTES-ANDRADE ³, Alejandro GONZÁLEZ-OJEDA ³, Clotilde FUENTES-OROZCO ³ ✉

¹ Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Western National Medical Center, Specialties Hospital, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Guadalajara, Mexico; ² Departments of Pathology and Microbiology, University Center for Health Sciences, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico; ³ Unit of Biomedical Research, Western National Medical Center, Specialties Hospital, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Guadalajara, Mexico

BACKGROUND: Osseous distraction is replacing traditional osteotomies for the correction of craniomaxillofacial deficiencies, but osseous contraction has yet to be established for patients with craniomaxillofacial excess, such as mandibular prognathism. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the osseous contraction phenomenon in an animal model.
METHODS: An experimental study was conducted on male New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (N.=10). The experimental group was first anesthetized, and an external fixation instrument was installed in the right mandibular region, after which a contraction schedule was applied. The control group underwent the same surgical procedure but without external fixation. Lateral radiography was performed on both sides of the jaw prior to instrument closure, advancing 1 mm every third day until reaching 8 mm (20 days), and the results were analyzed through computational software. The animals were then euthanized, and their jaws removed for histological study.
RESULTS: All animals tolerated the surgical procedures (with no postoperative complications). The retraction zone had a significantly shorter length and smaller osseous area in the experimental group than in the controls. Histologically, the experimental group had mature bone regeneration zones with increased fibroblastic activity and inflammatory infiltrate compared with the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: Osseous contraction could be a new treatment option in craniofacial surgery and might offer therapeutic opportunities for shortening skeletal structures without osteotomy.

KEY WORDS: Maxilla; Jaw; Surgery, oral; Rabbits