An experimental study of use of absorbable plate in combination with self-setting α-tricalcium phosphate for orthognathic surgery Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to histologically and immuno-histochemically evaluate bone formation using both of self-setting α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP; BIOPEX ® ) and absorbable plate (Super FIXSORB ® -MX) in rabbit cranium bone.Study design: Adult male Japanese white rabbits (n=16, 12-16 weeks, 2.5-3.0 kg) were used. The surgical defects were made in the nasal bone of a rabbit and BIOPEX ® was implanted in the left side and no material in the right side. Two-hall-absorbable plate and two screws (Super FIXSORB ® -MX) were fixed across the defect in each side. The rabbits were sacrificed at1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks postoperatively, and formalin-fixed specimens were embedded in acrylic resin. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. For immune-histochemical analysis, the specimens were treated with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) antibodies. Finally, these were evaluated microscopically.Results: New bone formation was observed in the region of absorbable plate and nasal membrane after more than 4 weeks. The area of BIOPEX ® +new bone was significantly 3 larger than that of control side after 1, 4 and 12 weeks (P<0.05). The number of BMP-2 stained cell in experimental side was significantly larger than that in control side after 4 and 12 weeks (P<0.05).
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