Methods: For this study, 32 Sprague-Dawley rats (350 g) were utilized. Sixteen animals were injected with streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) to induce diabetes; 16 animals served as controls. Titanium alloy implants (1.5 x 8 mm bone screws) were placed in the proximal tibia using sterile surgical techniques. Implants healed for either 2 or 14 days and were retrieved for histological analysis. Bone volume was quantified using a video-feed microscope and microcomputer to measure percent bone-occupied area within 1 mm of the implant (pixels bone/ pixels area of interest). Data was analyzed using ANOVA and Fisher’s PLSD test with alpha=0.05.
Results: Diabetic animals at both time observations demonstrated significantly (p<0.05) more bone volume compared to controls (see Table 1).
| 2-Day | 14-Day | |
| Diabetic | 16.1 (± 4.8) | 20.5 (± 4.6) |
| Control | 2.12 (± 0.5) | 9.0 (± 6.6) |
Conclusions: Diabetic rats in this study demonstrated significantly more bone growth associated with titanium alloy implants observed after 2 and 14 days of healing.
This project was supported by NIDCR Grant 1 R03 DE14000-01.