Wound healing of osteotomy defects prepared with piezo or conventional surgical instruments: a pilot study in rabbits.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the wound-healing process following osteotomies performed with either conventional rotary burs or piezoelectric surgery in a rabbit model. METHODS: Two types of osteotomy window defects of the nasal cavities were prepared on the nasal bone of 16 adult New Zealand white rabbits with either a conventional rotary bur or piezo surgery. The defects were covered with a resorbable membrane. Four animals were killed at 1, 2, 3, and 5 weeks after the surgical procedure, respectively. Histological and morphometric evaluations were performed to assess the volumetric density of various tissue components the blood clot, vascularized structures, provisional matrix, osteoid, mineralized bone, bone debris, residual tissue, and old bone. RESULTS: Significantly more bone debris was found at 1 week in the conventionally-prepared defects compared to the piezo surgically-prepared defects. At 2 and 3 weeks, a newly-formed hard tissue bridge, mainly composed of woven bone, was seen; however, no statistically-significant differences were observed. At 5 weeks, the defects were completely filled with newly-formed bone. CONCLUSION: The defects prepared by piezo surgery showed a significantly decreased proportion of bone debris at 1 week, compared to conventional rotary bur defect.