Mandible bone remodeling after natural collagen transplantation: morphological and radiological aspects

   Aim: To investigate in an experiment the dynamic changes in the mandible bone following traumatic injury and subsequent defect replacement with an osteoplastic material - natural collagen.
   Materials and Methods: Experiments were conducted on 45 male rabbits aged 6-7 months, weighing 2.5-3.0 kg. The control group included 20 animals
with a bone tissue defect that healed under a blood clot. The experimental group consisted of 20 rabbits where the bone defect was filled with natural collagen (Col-C). Post-traumatic bone tissue status within the defect area was monitored for 84 days by The assessment of jaw macrostructure, radiographic examination, radiovisiography, examination of bone sections under a microscope, and lectin-histochemical analysis of decalcified bone sections.
   Results: A comprehensive examination of the experimental bone defect in the rabbit mandible, following implantation of natural collagen revealed extensive regenerative processes. These processes were observed at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels, corroborating the findings of radiographic and radiovisiographic analyses. Microscopic evaluation further elucidated the sequential nature of these regenerative changes and provided insights into the composition of the newly formed bone tissue.
   Conclusions: The application of the osteoplastic material (Col-C) demonstrated a high capacity to positively influence the processes of neo-osteosynthesis, followed by remodeling of the damaged bone. This ensures reliable functionality of the entire dentoalveolar system.
   KEY WORDS: rabbits, lower jaw/mandible, dentoalveolar system, bone tissue, regeneration, colagen, , radiographic method, lectin-histochemistry