Effect of local delivery of alendronate on bone formation in bioactive glass grafting in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether local delivery of alendronate could improve bone formation after bioactive glass grafting in rat mandible. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and experimental groups (13 rats/group). A surgical defect was created on the angle of mandible of each animal. In the experimental group, a bioactive glass soaked with the alendronate solution was placed in the bone defect, and in the control group the bioactive glass soaked with saline was used. All animals were killed after 4 weeks. The number of osteoclasts and the amount of new bone formation were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Four weeks after surgery, the experimental group had significantly more bone formation than the control groups (P < .05). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups when the numbers of osteoclasts were compared. CONCLUSION: Histologic results showed that a single dose of local delivery of alendronate improves bone formation. However, further studies are required to elucidate the effect of local delivery of alendronate on bone formation in humans.