Akaashni Bhika; Amadi Ogonda Ihunwo & Diana Pillay

Alcohol binge drinking among adolescents is a cause for concern in South Africa and worldwide due to its harmful effects on the growth and development of the adolescent skeleton. This study aimed to investigate the impact of acute and chronic binge drinking on mandibular osteometry parameters in adolescent Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and to evaluate if recovery of the mandible is possible once alcohol is removed from the diet. 36 female SD rats, aged 7 weeks, were divided into alcohol-exposed and pair-fed control groups for acute binge, chronic binge, or alcohol abstinence models. The alcohol-exposed group received 3 g/kg of 20 % alcohol 3 days a week for 7 or 28 days, followed by a 30-day abstinence period in the abstinence model. The pair-fed control groups received a caloric equivalent dose of maltose dextrin. The osteometry measurements were taken from harvested mandibles for analysis. The study found differences in height measurements among all three models. In the acute binge alcohol model, the mandibular ramus height increased significantly in the alcohol-exposed group than the pair-fed control. In the chronic binge alcohol model, the height of the coronoid showed significant increases in the alcohol-exposed group. Additionally, in the chronic binge abstinent model, distances between specific points were greater in the alcohol-exposed animals compared to the pair-fed controls. This research reveals that binge drinking can significantly impact the growth and development of the mandible, both in the short term and over the long term.

KEY WORDS: Adolescent; Binge Alcohol; Bone; Mandible; Morphometry.

BHIKA, A.; IHUNWO, A.O. & PILLAY, D. The effects of acute and chronic binge drinking followed by alcohol abstinence on mandibular morphometry in female adolescent Sprague Dawley rats. Int. J. Morphol., 43(1):41-46, 2025.