ABSTRACT
Background: The best treatment for tooth avulsion is immediate replantation as it maintains the periodontal ligament (PDL) cell viability. If not possible, the tooth must be kept in a suitable storage medium before seeking dental treatment.
Aim of the study: Evaluation of the efficacy of propolis as storage media in maintaining periodontal ligament cell viability for different time periods, in comparison to milk.
Materials and Methods: Immortalized human skin fibroblasts were cultured and stored in the following media: Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), pasteurized low fat content milk and two different concentrations of propolis (10%, and 20%) that were prepared by diluting stock solution of propolis with either Phosphate buffer saline (PBS) or DMEM or milk for time points of 1, 3, 6 and 12 hours. Cell viability was determined using the SRB assay.
Results: Propolis had a significantly higher percentage of viable cells survived in propolis 10%, 20% storage media in comparison to other storage media: milk, DMEM and PBS through different time periods.
Conclusion: Propolis could be a good naturally available storage media for avulsed teeth.