Comparison between tooth slice organ culture and established cell line culture models for cytotoxicity testing of dental materials

Abstract

<P>IMMORTALIZED CELL LINES HAVE BEEN COMMONLY USED IN RESEARCH FOR BIOCOMPATIBILITY STUDIES. HOWEVER, SUCH CELLS DO NOT RESEMBLE ORAL TISSUES AND ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR GENERAL INITIAL TESTING. IN THIS PROJECT, DENTAL MATERIAL TESTINGS WITH BETTER CLINICAL RELEVANCE WERE PERFORMED, USING TOOTH SLICES (DENTINE-PULP COMPLEXES) FROM RAT MODELS. CELL HETEROGENEITIES AND CELL-CELL INTERACTIONS WITHIN INTACT TISSUE MATRIXES WERE MAINTAINED AND MORE THAN ONE DIPLOID CELL TYPES COULD BE ASSESSED. COUNTING OF INTACT CELL POPULATIONS WITHIN THE TOOTH-SLICE WERE FOUND REPRODUCIBLE. QUANTIFIABLE VIABILITY STAINING METHOD WAS ALSO EXPLOITED TO CONFIRM TOXICITY RANKINGS. ORGAN CULTURE TESTINGS WERE THEN COMPARED WITH ESTABLISHED CELL LINE TO EVALUATE POSSIBLE DIFFERENCES IN RESULT SENSITIVITIES AND RANKINGS.</P>