Study of dental plaque microflora in an animal model of periodontal disease using golden hamsters.

Abstract

Golden hamsters are often used as an animal model periodontal disease. They were examined for the relationships among bone resorption, root surface caries, and a change in oral microflora caused by the introduction of D#2000. The present study consisted of two experimentations to investigate those relationships. One was to investigate relationships in two groups: an experimental group started on D#2000 at the age of 5 weeks for 8 weeks, and a control group fed on CE-2 powder for the same period. The other was to investigate the influence of aging on bone resorption, and the changes in microflora by changing the time of starting feeding with D#2000. The results were as follows. 1) Root surface caries and alveolar bone resorption were obviously increased by feeding D#2000. 2) There was no difference in growth condition between the experimental and control groups, but the level of blood sugar in the experimental group was slightly higher than in the control group. 3) The oral microflora of the golden hamsters contained a variety of bacterial species and was similar to that of human beings. Gram-negative cocci were predominant in the experimental group, and Gram-positive cocci were predominant in the control group. 4) The later the start of giving D#2000, the greater was the incidence of root surface caries and