Osteogenic activity of the mixture of chitosan and particulate dentin

To evaluate the healing effect of a mixture of chitosan and particulate dentin, a 8‐mm‐diameter critical size defect was created in the calvarium of 75 rats. The rats were divided into four experimental groups and a control group (no treatment). The defects in the experimental groups were grafted either with pig particulate dentin (group 1), a mixture of particulate dentin and plaster of Paris (group 2), particulate dentin and chitosan (group 3), or chitosan only (group 4). Rats in each group were sacrificed 2, 4, and 8 weeks after implantation. All experimental groups showed more new bone formation when compared to the control group. Additionally, all groups exhibited more bone growth at 8 weeks than at 4 weeks after implantation. It was concluded from this study that defects treated with particulate dentin powder–chitosan mixture may mediate an excellent effect on the formation of new bones. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2008