Subcutaneous tissue response in rats to an aluminoborate cement.

In the interests of producing an improved periodontal dressing material, adhesive cements are under consideration. A new glass ionomer system--aluminoborates--shows some potential in this respect, and a relatively soluble formulation was chosen for a simple biological test in rats, by means of implantation in polypropylene tubes. As a positive control, the widely used aluminosilicate cement Aspa was employed, and empty tubes were used as negative controls. A simple scoring system using interval measurements was employed, and showed no difference at the 5% level between the experimental cement and either control, although slight differences were discernible between controls. The study also indicated that the side of a filled tube is not the best control for assessment of reaction at tube ends.