Idemudia Eguavoen; Ejikeme Felix Mbajiorgu; Vaughan Perry; Diana Pillay & Robert Ndou

Both alcohol abuse and diabetes are associated with osteoporosis and high fracture rate. However, studies on the combined effects of alcohol and diabetes on the mandible are lacking in the scientific literature. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of concurrent alcohol intake on the trabeculae morphometry and tensile strength of diabetic rat mandibles. Twenty-nine male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were respectively grouped as: untreated (control) (n=8); alcohol (ALC) (n=8); diabetic (DBT) (n=7); diabetic animals treated with alcohol (DBT+ALC) (n=6). Diabetes was induced through a high fructose diet and streptozotocin and confirmed through serum insulin levels and blood fasting glucose. The rats that were receiving alcohol were given 10 % v/v alcohol daily in drinking water for 84 days. After 12 weeks, bilateral hemi-mandibles were harvested and fixed in 10 % buffered formalin before conducting microtomography to assess trabecular morphometric parameters and tensile strength. The results revealed that trabecular parameters and tensile strength were negatively impacted. The ALC group had more BV/TV, which contradicts previous studies suggesting that alcohol can alter trabecular morphological parameters. The DBT group had lower maximum and breaking forces, suggesting that alcohol had no adverse effect on maximum and breaking force when used independently. The highest stiffness was observed in the DBT+ALC rats. However, the bone quality was lower, indicating that alcohol consumption may not be a significant factor in bone health.

KEY WORDS: Osteoporosis; Bone fracture; Alcoholism; Diabetes mellitus; Mandible.

EGUAVOEN, I.; MBAJIORGU, E. F.; PERRY, V.; PILLAY, D. & NDOU, R. Mandibular trabecular morphometry and tensile strength assessment in the diabetic Sprague Dawley rat consuming alcohol. Int. J. Morphol., 42(6):1706-1712, 2024.