Periodontal disease if left untreated may result in tooth loss. Implants are a form of rehabilitative therapy for tooth replacement. However, implants are quite expensive in Indonesia. Therefore, there is the need for an alternative dental implant biomaterial with biocompatible properties that can effectively promote osseointegration. One of such material is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), which is widely used by orthopedic surgeons as implants. However, PMMA lacks the bioactivity necessary for effective osseointegration. Unlike PMMA, hydroxyapatite (HA) offers better osteoconductive, bioactive, and biocompatible properties. HA can be derived from limestone (CaCO3) through processing at Balai Besar Keramik (BBK) or from bovine bone following the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). This study aimed to evaluate the osteogenic potential of PMMA-HA implants by analyzing osteocalcin (OCN) and osteopontin (OPN) expression in a rat bone model. Rats were divided into six groups. Then PMMA-HA (GMP) and PMMA-HA (BBK) were implanted into the femurs of the rats at a ratio of 83.8:16.2. Immunohistochemical assays were conducted on days 7 and 14 to assesses OCN and OPN expression levels. Both PMMA-HA (BBK) and PMMA-HA (GMP) treatment groups demonstrated significantly higher expression of OCN and OPN compared to the control group (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that PMMA-HA implants effectively promote osteoblast differentiation, as evidenced by elevated levels of OCN and OPN, which are crucial for bone formation.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v9i4.50
Publish Year: 2025
