Effect of psidium guajava fruit suspension on periodontium following orthodontic tooth movement in wistar rats—histologic findings

To report the histological changes in the periodontium after oral supplementation with a suspension of P. guajava fruit in Wistar rats compared with negative controls. A total of 24 male Wistar rats (aged 8-12 weeks) were randomly assigned to the intervention and negative control groups and received 250 mg/kg P. guajava fruit suspension and normal saline, respectively, via oral gavage. Rats underwent orthodontic treatment and a relapse protocol on the left maxillary side. At the end of the relapse period, the rats were sacrificed, and the left maxillary jaw was excised, processed, and stained for histological assessment using Hematoxylin and Eosin. Of 24 enrolled rats, 20 completed the study. PDL fiber uniformity was observed in 70% of rats in the intervention group on both the pressure and tension sides, whereas 90% of their counterparts in the control group exhibited excessively wide and narrow irregular PDL fiber thickness, respectively (P < 0.001). On the pressure side of both the intervention and control groups, 70% of rats showed a moderate number of osteoclasts. The remaining 30% in the same groups, however, either lacked or expressed few osteoclasts, respectively. Differences between the study groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Oral administration of P. guajava fruit suspensions may promote favorable histological changes in the periodontium.