Impaired bone healing at tooth extraction sites in CD24-deficient mice: A pilot study

AIM To use a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to quantify bone healing at maxillary first molar extraction sites, and test the hypothesis that bone healing is impaired in CD24-knockout mice as compared with wild-type C57BL/6J mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Under ketamine-xylazine general anaesthesia, mice had either extraction of the right maxillary first molar tooth or sham operation. Mice were sacrificed 1 (n = 12/group), 2 (n = 6/group) or 4 (n = 6/group) weeks postoperatively. The right maxillae was disected. Micro-CT was used to quantify differences in bone microstructural features at extrction sites, between CD24-knockout mice and wild-type mice. RESULTS CD24-Knockout mice displayed impaired bone healing at extraction sites that was manifested as decreased trabecular bone density, and decreased number and thickness of trabeculae. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study suggests that CD24 plays an important role in extraction socket bone healing and may be used as a novel biomarker of bone quality and potential therapeutic target to improve bone healing and density following alveolar bone injury.