Experimental modeling of a bone defect to study the regenerative potential of osteoplastic materials in conditions close to the alveolar bone of human jaws

The growing demand for osteoplastic materials leads to the interest of researchers in the development and study of new products, one of the most popular among which are xenografts. Taking into account the disadvantages of known animal models for testing materials in vivo and the intention to investigate the properties of materials in terms of their further application in dental practice, the purpose of this study was to propose a new experimental animal model for studying the regenerative potential of modern osteoplastic materials in conditions close to the alveolar part of human jaws by developing surgical access to a previously unexplored area of the elbow the appendages of a sheep. In three mature sheep, four bone defects were created in the area of the ulnar processes of the ulna bones of the right and left forelimbs. The defects were filled with samples of xenogenic materials, one was left under a blood clot as a control. From above, the defects were covered with a collagen membrane fixed with titanium pins. The animals were removed from the experiment 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after surgery. To evaluate the results of the experiment, computer microtomography and histological methods were used. The proposed model satisfies the criterion of a bone defect of critical size by determining a defect of the smallest size that does not heal without treatment for a certain period. The experimental approach developed by us makes it possible to use a fairly simple surgical approach for implanting the material under study into a site with similar architectonics to the alveolar bone of the human jaw, while with low morbidity for the animal. Within the framework of the proposed model, the selected research methods provide an opportunity to assess the course of the regenerative process in a given localization at different stages.