title: Effect of zinc-deficient diet on oral tissues and periodontal indices in rats.
abstract: Zinc (Zn) as a nutritional factor affects the health of the oral tissues. This study was done for the evaluation of the effects of zinc deficiency on the oral tissues of rats. The study was carried out on 14 male Wistar rats, cessation of lactation on the 24(th) day after birth. The rats were randomly divided into two groups. Zinc deficient (ZD) diet was used for one group and another group was fed with a zinc-containing (ZC) diet. The alterations of the oral tissues in both groups were evaluated clinically after four weeks. Also the gingival index and periodontal pocket depth were recorded. The measurement of serum zinc level was done by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The microscopic slides of oral tissue specimen were evaluated quantitatively. The serum zinc level of the ZD rats was lower than the ZC group (p< 0.001). According clinical findings, the gingival index was lower in ZC rat (p=0.001), but there was no significant difference regarding the periodontal pocket depth between two groups (p=0.07). Aphthous ulcer was observed in ZD rats on the floor of the mouth. There was no significant difference regarding the epithelial and keratin thickening between two groups. This study indicated that oral and periodontal health was better in ZC rats than in ZD rats. Aphthous lesions were more prominent in ZD rats. This study confirmed that zinc deficiency may endanger oral and periodo ntal structures.
authors.affiliation: Dental Materials Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Seyedmajidi
authors.affiliation: Dental Materials Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seyedmajidi
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Aliakbar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moghadamnia
authors.affiliation: Students' Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Khani
authors.affiliation: Dental Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zahedpasha
authors.affiliation: Dental Materials Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Niloofar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jenabian
authors.affiliation: Fatemeh-Zahra Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Gholamali
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jorsaraei
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran .
authors.forename: Sohrab
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halalkhor
authors.affiliation: Dental Materials Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motallebnejad
keywords: Zinc; oral tissue; periodontal indices