Histopathological and radiographic evaluation of rat molar teeth after traumatic injury-a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: Radiographic and histopathological evaluation of mechanical trauma on the development of maxillary molars in rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental study with 7-day-old five new born Wistar rats. Trauma induced on 7(th) postnatal day with #55 K file. Right first molar region of the maxilla was the experimental side, and the left side as control. Each animal was sacrificed for histopathological observation on 8(th) day (immediately next day of injury), 10(th) day (after 3 days of injury), 13(th) day (Enamel completion), 19(th) day (Emergence into oral cavity) and 42(nd) day when all the teeth came into functional occlusion. RESULTS: On the 42(nd) day experimental side of the study, the 1(st) molar tooth had not erupted and the radiographs taken revealed conglomerate mass suggestive of complex odontome. Reduced tooth size, altered enamel and dentin formation, abscess formation and complex odontome like structure were observed histopathologically. CONCLUSION: The diversity of morphlogical and histopathological changes to intrusive force implies intricate mechanism involved in tooth development.