The Role of Marine Organic Extract in Bone Regeneration: A Pilot Study.

Novel biomaterials capable of accelerating the healing process of skeletal tissues are urgently needed in dentistry. The present in vivo study assessed the osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties of experimental biphasic bioceramics (HA-TCP) modified or not by a nacre extract (marine organic extract, MOE) in a sheep model. Fabrication of MOE involved mixing ground nacre (0.05 g, particle sizes < 0.1 mm) with glacial ethanoic acid (5 mL, pH 7) for 72 hours using external magnetic stirring (25°C). Nonreactive carriers (sterile polythene tubes; 3/animal, radius: 2.5 mm, length: 10.0 mm) pertaining to the control (empty) or experimental groups (HA-TCP or MOE-modified HA-TCP) were implanted intramuscularly into the abdominal segment of the torso in sheep (n = 8, age: 2 years, weight: 45 kg). Euthanization of animals was performed at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Tissues harvested were subjected to macroscopic and radiographic assessments. Specimens were then stained for histological analysis. Both control and experimental animals were capable of inducing the neoformation of fibrous connective tissue at both time points where superior amounts of tissue formation and mineralization were detected for experimental groups (unaltered (at 3 and 6 mos) and MOE-modified HA-TCP (at 3 mos)). Histological results, however, revealed that mature bone formation was only observed for specimens fabricated with MOE-modified HA-TCP in a time-dependent manner. The present study has successfully demonstrated the in vivo utility of experimental biphasic bioceramics modified by MOE in an ectopic grafting sheep model. Promising osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties must be further developed and confirmed by subsequent research.

Pneumatization within a maxillary sinus graft: a case report.

Rehabilitation of edentulous posterior maxilla with implant-supported prostheses frequently presents a challenge to dentists. This is due to insufficient bone within the region, in addition to other limiting factors such as anatomical pneumatization of the maxillary sinus. Thus, grafting of the maxillary sinus is a common procedure used to counteract these problems. Regardless of the type of biomaterial used, the success of the procedure is dependent on the formation of high-quality bone. Therefore, vascularization is a key factor for successful grafting and for the long-term maintenance of the treatment. This paper reports a clinical case of bone graft pneumatization and attempts to elucidate its potential etiology.