Hypertension may affect tooth-supporting alveolar bone quality: a study in rats.

BACKGROUND

This study evaluates the ligature-induced bone loss (BL) and quality of tooth-supporting alveolar bone in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by histometric, histochemical, and immunohistochemical analyses and assesses the effects of lercanidipine on these parameters.

METHODS

Wistar rats and SHRs were assigned to one of the following groups: normotensive rats (n = 15), untreated SHRs (n = 15), and treated SHRs (n = 15). The latter group was treated daily with lercanidipine for 45 days. Two weeks after the beginning of drug administration, the first right mandibular molar received a cotton ligature, whereas the contralateral tooth was left unligated. The following parameters were analyzed in the furcation area of decalcified histologic sections: BL, bone density (BD), number of positive cells for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP+), and expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG).

RESULTS

In ligated teeth, no significant differences among groups were found regarding BL, TRAP+ cells, and the ratio of RANKL/OPG+ cells (P >0.05), although the expression of RANKL was decreased in the treated SHR group (P <0.05). Increased BL and decreased BD were observed around unligated teeth of the untreated and treated SHR groups (P <0.05). In the furcation area of the unligated teeth, the untreated SHR group presented a higher number of TRAP+ cells and higher ratio of RANKL/OPG+ cells compared to the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

SHRs present harmful alterations in the quality of tooth-supporting bone, independently of inflammation. In addition, the administration of lercanidipine for 45 days decreased the expression of bone-resorption markers.