AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF CO-60 IRRADIATION ON THE HEALING PROCESS OF EXTRACTION WOUNDS IN WHITE RATS

Co-60조사가 백서 발치창 치유과정에 미치는 영향에 관한 실험적 연구

Because of the development of rampant caries, osteomyelitis and osteoradionecrosis that occur after radiation therapy of oral cancers, extraction of teeth at or near the malignant lesion has been done in the past. Few, however, have studied the radiation effect on the healing of extraction wounds. This study is concerned with the effect of Co-60 irradiation on the healing process of extraction wounds in rats. Fifty six, male, Spraque-Dawley rats are used. The right first molar of the mandible is extracted from all animals. They are divided into three experimental groups of 14 each and a control group of 14. Three experimental groups are irradiated respectively with 200 rad, 400 rad and 600 rad and a pair of rats in each group are killed on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 after irradiation. Two animals from the control group are killed on the day when the experimental rats are killed. The irradiated hemimandibles are fixed in 10% neutral formalin, decalcified in 5% trichloroacetic acid, embedded in paraffin and sectioned. The sections are stained in hematoxylin and eosin, van Gieson, Masson's trichrome or silver nitrate. Results show that in general radiation effects on healing extraction wounds are dose dependent; i.e., the higher is the dose, the greater is the histologic changes observed: 1. Irradiation tends to retard blood clot organization and epithelial regeneration. 2. An increase in the number of giant cells and osteoclasts is noted after irradiation. 3. Formation of regenerating connective tissues around and within the extraction site is com- promised, and a clear reduction of primitive mesenchymal type connective cells is noted. 4. The healing process begins along the lateral aspect of the extraction socket in the control, while irregular histologic appearances of the brabecular pattern is present in the experimental rats.