Impaired bone healing at tooth extraction sites in CD24-deficient mice: A pilot study

AIM: To use a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to quantify bone healing at maxillary first molar extraction sites, and test the hypothesis that bone healing is impaired in CD24-knockout mice as compared with wild-type C57BL/6J mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under ketamine-xylazine general anaesthesia, mice had either extraction of the right maxillary first molar tooth or sham operation. Mice were sacrificed 1 (n = 12/group), 2 (n = 6/group) or 4 (n = 6/group) weeks postoperatively. The right maxillae was disected. Micro-CT was used to quantify differences in bone microstructural features at extrction sites, between CD24-knockout mice and wild-type mice. RESULTS: CD24-Knockout mice displayed impaired bone healing at extraction sites that was manifested as decreased trabecular bone density, and decreased number and thickness of trabeculae. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that CD24 plays an important role in extraction socket bone healing and may be used as a novel biomarker of bone quality and potential therapeutic target to improve bone healing and density following alveolar bone injury.