Effect of masticatory function on the internal bone structure in the mandible of the growing rat.

The influence of changes in the masticatory function on bone mass, bone density and cortical thickness was analyzed in different functional units of the mandible of the growing rat. Young male albino rats were fed either a hard diet or a soft diet for 4 wk. Undecalcified coronal sections were selected from five mandibular regions and microradiographic images of the specimens alongside an aluminium stepwedge were obtained. Bone mass and density were measured at selected sites with a computer-aided image analysis system. Cortical thickness was measured on diagrams. The reduced masticatory function in the soft diet group produced different adaptive responses in the tested regions of the mandible. Some regions showed reduced cortical thickness (underneath the incisor and lateral to the first molar and some locations of the ramus), a few showed reduced bone density (medial to the first molar and in the ramus), and only one showed both (in the ramus). Reduced bone mass was associated mostly with thinner cortical bone rather than lower cortical bone density. Changes in cortical thickness and changes in bone density may be two different mechanisms for adjusting local mechanical properties in the mandible of the rat. Masticatory muscle function is a determinant for the amount and density of cortical and trabecular bone and may possibly influence results of orthodontic tooth movement and its possible relapse.