Aim of the study: The aim of the current study was to assess the vitality of autogenous bone grafts harvested from rabbits` calvaria following decontamination of the grafts using three different antimicrobial agents.
Materials and Methods: Autogenous bone grafts were harvested from the calvaria of twenty four white New Zealand male rabbits. The grafts were allowed a five minutes contact time with normal saline (Group I), 2% chlorhexidine (Group II), Clindamycine (Group III) and Oleozone gel (Group IV). The grafts were then reinserted into the previously created graft beds. Animals were sacrificed at 10 and 21 days post surgery, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans were performed for the skull of the rabbits and bone specimens were collected for histological examination.
Results: Histomorphometric analysis showed a superior results in favor of the ozone treated group represented as a significantly higher percentage of normal osteocytes and marked increase in area percentage of new bone formation. Additionally, DEXA scan revealed a significant increase in bone mineral density and bone mineral concentration of the ozone treated group compared to the other studied groups.
Conclusion: The ozone treated grafts showed a distinguished preservation of osteoblastic vitality, which may indicate a superior biocompatibility compared to chlorhexidine and clindamycin.