Evaluation of bone regenerative capacity following distraction osteogenesis of goat mandibles using two different bone cutting techniques

PurposeTo compare the regenerative capacity of goat mandibles following sagittal split osteotomy and distraction osteogenesis with a vertical body osteotomy.Animals and methodsBilateral vertical and sagittal body osteotomy was performed on the left and right sides of the mandibles in 18 goats. The distraction period lasted for 10 days at 1 mm/day. Animals were sacrificed at 0, 10, and 35 days post-distraction. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone volume (BV) were analysed by microcomputed tomography (MCT). Types of bone and cells present in the regenerated defect sites were analysed histologically.ResultsAt 0, 10, and 35 days, BMD was 0.358 ± 0.012, 0.410 ± 0.012, and 1.070 ± 0.019, respectively, for vertical osteotomy and 0.420 ± 0.013, 0.421 ± 0.009 and 1.182 ± 0.030, respectively, for sagittal osteotomy. BV was 973.310 ± 5.048, 1234.589 ± 4.159, and 2121.867 ± 6.519, respectively, for vertical osteotomy and 995.967 ± 2.781, 1755.938 ± 4.379, and 2618.441 ± 21.429, respectively, for sagittal osteotomy at these three time points. BMD and BV differed significantly at all three times. Histological analysis shows that sagittal splitting was characterized by more robust lamellar bone formation bridging the distraction gap than vertical body osteotomy.ConclusionBoth MCT and histological analyses showed that distraction using the sagittal osteotomy technique resulted in significantly higher BV and BMD than using vertical body osteotomy.