Introduction: Increasing consumption of sweetened carbonated beverages as Coca-Cola has increased dramatically lately. Many detrimental effects have been proven concerning several medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, inflammation and osteoporosis. Quercetin, is a powerful natural antioxidant that can protect many organs against oxidative damage, including bone.
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Coca-Cola consumption on the structure of the alveolar bone in adult rats as well as the possible protective effect of Quercetin.
Materials and Methods: 30 adult albino rats were randomly divided into 3 equal groups. Control group (I), Coca-Cola group (II) and Coca-Cola + Quercetin group (III). The rats in groups II and III received 2 ml Coca-Cola for three consecutive months. Group (III) received 100mg/kg Quercetin throughout the experimental period. After the experimental period, all rats were euthanized and the mandibles were dissected out and prepared for histological, ultrastructural analysis using scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis.
Results: In Coca-Cola group, the light microscopic results revealed irregular bone surface with multiple Hawship's lacunae some of which contain osteoclasts. This was accompanied with widening in PDL thickness and thinning of the bone trabecuae. However, group III, revealed smoother alveolar bone surface accompanied by normal thickness of bone trabeculae with parallel resting lines. All these results were supported by the scanning electron microscopic and the energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis results.
Conclusions: Quercetin has a potential protective effect on Coca-Cola-induced hazards on alveolar bone by relatively restoring the normal architecture of bone.