Evaluation of the detectability of early mandible fracture healing findings in terms of vitality aspect by using micro-CT technology in postmortem interval.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the vitality aspect of mandibular fractures using micro-CT in the analysis of bone mineral density and other bone microstructure trabecular parameters in the postmortem interval. This study included 72 female Wistar rats. In the study groups, the rats’ mandibles were first fractured and after three days of living, the rats were sacrificed. In the control groups, the rats were sacrificed first and then the mandibles were fractured. All rats were left for a natural putrefaction period according to their group’s time as week-0, week-1, week-2, week-4, week-8, and week-12. All fractured hemi-mandibles were scanned by micro-CT and analyzed in terms of BMD and other bone trabecular microstructures. BMD and the other bone trabecular microstructures, such as bone volume, percent bone volume, trabecular separation, and trabecular pattern factor, showed statistically significant differences in both the study and control groups (p ≤ 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the study and control groups in comparisons of BMD in groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, bone volume and percent bone volume in groups 1 and 3, bone surface and bone surface density in group 6, trabecular separation in group 1, and trabecular number, trabecular pattern factor, and structural model index in group 6. Micro-CT scanning and analysis of BMD and other bone trabecular microstructure parameters for evaluation of vitality aspects of mandible fractures in the PMI has various valuable results that should provide guidance for possible studies in the future.