Comparative study between homeopathy and nimesulide on the prevention of bone resorption in experimental periodontitis in rats.

Abstract

The aims of this study were to assess the effect of a homeopathic agent (Mercúrios Corrosivos 6 CH) and a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (nimesulide) on the progression of the alveolar bone loss in experimentally induced periodontitis in rats. Sixty (60) Wistar rats were divided into group 1 (homeopathy), group 2 (nimesulide) and group 3 (saline solution). Silk ligatures were placed at the gingival margin level of the lower right first molar of all rats. Alveolar bone loss was evaluated and analyzed using software Image J. The results were submitted to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's posttest (p<0.05). The analysis revealed that there was a higher bone loss in diseased sites as compared with healthy sites. A significant reduction in the alveolar bone resorption was observed in group 2 (nimesulide) as compared with groups 1 (homeopathy) and 3 (control), 7 days after the induction of periodontal disease. Our data provided evidence that homeopathy does not decrease alveolar bone loss as opposed to nimesulide in experimentally induced periodontitis.