Homeopathic treatment for bone regeneration: experimental study.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research was to study the effect of homeopathic treatment with Plumbum metallicum (Plumbum met.) on mandibular bone repair in rats.


METHODS
We analyzed the mandibles of 60 male rats, approximately 3-month-old, randomly divided into three groups of 20 animals each: control, treated with calcitonin, and treated with a homeopathic medicine. A circumscribed bone defect measuring 4mm in diameter was made in the mandible and covered with a polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) barrier. The group treated with calcitonin received 2IU/kg intramuscularly three times a week; the group treated with Plumbum met. 30c received three drops in water every day. The animals were sacrificed after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The mandibles were removed and submitted to histologic and histomorphometric analyses.


RESULTS
Data were analyzed statistically by two-way ANOVA and by the Tukey test. The interaction effect (ANOVA, F df(6; 48)=4.64; p=0.001<0.05) indicated that the relationship between treatments was not the same at each time of sacrifice. Although statistical analysis of the histomorphometric data showed a similar results for the treated and control groups. But histological analysis showed complete filling of the surgical defect throughout its extent was only for the group treated with Plumbum met.


CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrated that for repair of surgical defects in rat mandibles Plumbum met. 30c and control did not differ significantly in histomorphometric terms.
Department of Bioscience and Oral Diagnosis, São Paulo State University-UNESP, São José dos Campos Dental School, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil. janete@fosjc.unesp.br
Janete Dias
JD
Almeida
Emília Angela Loschiavo
EA
Arisawa
Ivan
I
Balducci
Rosilene Fernandes
RF
da Rocha
Yasmin Rodarte
YR
Carvalho
D000818:Animals; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006705:Homeopathy; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
D002116:Calcitonin