CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE USE OF EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL MODELS IN DENTAL MEDICINE - A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to document in the specialized literature, the importance of using experimental animal models in dental medicine. For this study we reviewed 41 abstracts of scientific papers and 81 in-extenso articles, using Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed databases. Additionally, a search in 5 specialized books was performed. Of these scholarly papers, 67 were considered to be relevant for this study. Even though the prevalence of these studies is decreasing due to the new legislative restrictions, the scientific results obtained with the use of these models in medical research are evident. The most relevant experimental animal model for scientific documentation of oral rehabilitation is the dog, both for dental implant surgery research and for the study of biomaterials used in the treatment of periodontal disease. The monkey is considered to be of excellent relevance for the evaluation of healing after periodontal treatments.