Impact of obesity and aging on crestal alveolar bone height in mice

Obesity and aging are associated with periodontitis, which represents a chronic inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting tissues, i.e. the periodontium. However, if both risk factors also have a negative impact on crestal alveolar bone in a clinically healthy periodontium, has yet to be elucidated and was analyzed in this in-vivo study. Eight C57BL/6 mice were fed a normal diet during the entire study. Half of these mice were sacrificed at week 19 (group 1: younger lean mice), whereas the other half of the animals were sacrificed at week 25 (group 2: older lean mice). In addition, four mice were fed a high-fat diet until their sacrifice at week 19 (group 3: younger obese mice). Mandible…