Myofibroblasts in connective tissue capsules around implanted dental materials.

For testing the biocompatibility of dental materials in an experimental animal model the capsular tissues around the implanted dental materials were examined light and electron microscopically. The exudative inflammation and fibrosis at different times after implantation were thought to be the indicators of the degree of the compatibility. Starting from the knowledge of the occurrence of myofibroblasts in reparative granulation tissue we looked for such cells in the capsular tissues. Myofibroblasts were especially found at three weeks after onset of the experiments. Structural peculiarities of this fibroblast modulation are emphasized. Myofibroblasts are considered as an essential link between the early exudative reaction and the late fiber formation in tissue reactions after mechanical injury.