Testosterone Deficiency Associated with Periodontal Disease Increases Alveolar Bone Resorption and Changes the Thickness of the Gingival Epithelium

Aim: The relationship between steroid sex hormones and periodontal disease has been extensively investigated in females; however, studies with males are still scarce. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of testosterone deficiency on alveolar bone loss and on the histological structure of the periodontal tissues of castrated rats with experimental periodontitis.

Materials and Methods: To test the hypothesis, we used 28 male Wistar rats obtained from the Unioeste’s Central Bioterium. When the animals reached 80 days of age, they were separated into four groups (N =7 animals/group): Control without ligature (CON), Control with ligature (CON+LIG), Castrated without ligature (CAST), and Castrated with ligature (CAST+LIG). At 90 days of age, the orchiectomy was performed in the appropriate groups. Sixty days after castration, the periodontal disease was induced by a ligation technique. At the end of the trials (90 days after castration), the animals were weighed and sacrificed using a CO2 chamber. Their jaws were removed, dissected, separated into the right and left counterparts, fixed in 10% (v/v) buffered formalin for 24 h, decalcified and processed for histological and radiological techniques.

Results: The results of this study showed that the ligature model was effective in inducing periodontitis in animals. The animals of the CAST and CAST+LIG groups showed significant reduction in body weight at the end of the trial period when compared to the CON and CON+LIG groups. Castration led to a significant bone loss in the animals, which was aggravated by the induction of periodontal disease. Animals with periodontal disease showed increased gingival epithelium area and connective tissue area when compared to the animals free of periodontitis.

Conclusion: We conclude that testosterone is an important physiological regulator of alveolar bone metabolism. Testosterone deficiency associated with periodontal disease increases alveolar bone resorption and changes the thickness of the gingival epithelium.