TISSUE REACTION TO IMPLANTED ROOT-END FILLING MATERIALS IN THE TIBIA AND MANDIBLE OF GUINEA-PIGS

The purpose of this study was to examine the tissue reaction to implan ted mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), amalgam, Intermediate Restorativ e Material, and Super-EBA in the tibias and mandibles of guinea pigs. After anesthetizing 20 guinea pigs, raising tissue flaps, and preparin g bony cavities, the test materials were placed in Teflon cups and imp lanted in the tibias and 10 days later in the mandibles. The animals w ere euthanized 80 days later and the tissue prepared for histological examination. The presence of inflammation, predominant cell type, and thickness of fibrous connective tissue adjacent to each implant were r ecorded. The tissue reaction to MTA implantation was the most favorabl e observed at both sites; as in every specimen, it was free of inflamm ation (p < 0.01). In the tibia, MTA was the material most often observ ed with direct bone apposition. Based on these results, MTA seems to b e a biocompatible material.