[Experimental periodontitis in rats].

ODU Plaque-susceptible rats (ODUS/Odu) exhibit markedly heavy plaque formation in the lower incisors and develop both periodontal pockets and gingivitis after being fed a commercially available powder diet. These rats have been established as an inbred strain. We have demonstrated that the ODUS/Odu are a very suitable experimental model for studying periodontitis. We already reported about the allelic distribution, changes of plaque formation and body weight, biochemical nature, toxic activity, vascular permeability factor and bradykinin inactivating factor of the plaque, histological and immunological studies, the pH in the periodontal pocket, amount of saliva, IgA in the saliva, salivary kallikrein, the relationship between sialic acid in the saliva and the serum, leukocyte functions (chemotaxis and superoxide anion) in ODUS/Odu, histamine, mast cell, free radicals, superoxide dismutase activities in gingiva and gingival nerve fibers with substance P or calcitonin gene-related peptide, and effect of diabetes. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic ODUS/Odu may be a useful tool for studying the pathological mechanisms in the development of periodontal tissue breakdown in diabetes. ODUS/Odu should help to further establish the utility of this strain as a model for experimental periodontal disease.