Radiographic Evaluation of the Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Regeneration of Calvarial Bone Defects in Rats

Objective: The present study was aimed to evaluate radiographically the effect of orally administered vitamin D3 on guided bone regeneration in calvarial critical size defects (CSD) in rats. Methods: Two calvarial CSD were created in 12 male Sprague-Dawley rats. One of the defects was left empty (E defect), while the other one was treated with deproteinized bovine bone graft and collagen-based resorbable membrane (GM-filled defect). Following surgical intervention, rats were randomly assigned into two groups; the control group was administered distilled water, and the test group was treated with 2 mu g /kg vitamin D3 by gavage once a day for 8 weeks. Radiological images were obtained from rats on 4th and 8th weeks. The area fraction of newly formed osteoid was determined using Image Fiji Analysis Software. Results: The percentages of area fraction in the GM-filled defects were statistically higher than the E defects in both study groups at 4th and 8th weeks (p<.0001). In both E and GM defects, the percentage of area fraction was higher at weeks 4 and 8 in the test group compared to the control groups (p<.0001). In comparison to the other groups, the GM-filled defect in the test group had the highest mean percentage of area fraction (p<.0001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that healing of CSD could be evaluated by radiography and Vitamin D3 improves bone healing, particularly when guided bone regeneration is used in rats with CSD at the calvaria.