Irradiation Degraded Carboxymethyl Chitosan as a Storage Medium for Avulsed Teeth

Abstract

Background/Aim: Tooth avulsion occurs frequently. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of carboxymethyl chitosan solution as the storage medium for maintaining the periodontal ligament cell viability. Materials and Methods: A total of seventy caries-free and periodontal health human premolars were randomly divided into three experimental groups according to the storage medium and two control groups. The extra-alveolar dry time of positive and negative control group is 0 and 2 hours, respectively. The experimental teeth were stored dry for 30 min followed by 45-min immersion in one of the experimental storage media. The number of viable cells was determined using collagenase II and dispase assay. Results: There was a statistical significant difference between unirradiated and electron beam irradiated carboxymethyl chitosan in maintaining the periodontal ligament cells viability. Conclusion: Within the parameters of this study, carboxymethyl chitosan irradiated by electron beam at 40 kGy demonstrated most efficiency in maintaining the viability of periodontal ligament cells and hence could be recommended as a storage medium of avulsed tooth for an interim transport.