[Symmetry of the bone lesions of periodontitis in the golden hamster].

In 8 month old hamsters, a spontaneous bone resorption occurs on both lingual and palatal aspects of the alveolar process, whereas, the buccal aspects are much less severely affected. A periodontitis lasting more than 6 months markedly increased this process in animals of the same age. In both maxillae, similar levels of bone resorption occurred on both left and right quadrants. A parallel degree of involvement was noted in the upper and lower jaws. However, the progress of the lesions seemed less rapid in the maxilla compared to the mandible. For experimental periods less than 6 months, less sever periodontitis could be recorded if macroscopical studies were conducted in the maxillae rather than the mandibles.