Comparison of Two Morphometric Linear Methods to Measure the Alveolar Bone Loss Induced by Experimental Periodontal Disease in Rats

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the direct and indirect linear morphometric measurements for the evaluation of alveolar bone loss after experimentally induced periodontitis in rats.

Materials and Methods: Right mandibles of 30 Sprague Dawley rats were collected from a previous study which induced periodontitis using ligature model. In direct measurement group, the distance between cementoenamel junction and alveolar bone crest was evaluated by digital caliper and periodontal probe with a dental loop, whereas indirect group measurement was performed by an image analysis program on digital photographs.

Results: The difference between groups was determined using Mann-Whitney U test. Average alveolar bone loss was 1.08 +/- 0.22 mm in direct measurement group and 1.19 +/- 0.33 mm inindirect measurement group. The variation between direct and in direct groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the present result, it can be concluded that, direct morphometric analysis might be an essential alternative to indirect morphometric evaluations to measure alveolar bone loss after experimentally induced periodontitis in rats.