Diabetes mellitus is a chronic, lifelong metabolic disorder. Impaired wound healing capabilities in both cutaneous and oral ulceration was denoted among diabetic patients. Topical treatments include natural therapeutic products as oxidized regenerated cellulose/collagen, hyaluronic acid conjugated with glycidyl methacrylate or gelatin dressings and insulin. Different studies have proved the efficacy of topical insulin on skin ulcers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical insulin on oral ulcers in diabetic and non-diabetic rats through histological examinations.
Material and methods: 48 male albino rats were used in this study, rat population was divided into diabetic and non-diabetic groups. Each group was subdivided into test subgroup treated by insulin and control subgroup treated by placebo. Histological examination was performed to rats sacrificed after 2, 7 and 14 days.
Results: Better healing was observed in nondiabetic groups compared to diabetic groups. Improved healing was noticed in groups treated by insulin manifested by hyperplastic orthokeratinized epithelium with prominent granular cell layer, while ulceration was still denoted in the groups treated by plecebo.
Conclusion: From the present study, it was concluded that topical insulin can be considered as a safe and effective treatment modality for oral ulcers.