Increased Radiodensity and Bone Repair After Periodontal Surgery in Rhesus Monkeys

A comparison of radiographs taken 1 year after operation with those taken immediately before surgery revealed increased radiodensity of the crestal bone in the operated area on the mesial of the first molar. The histological sections showed a long junctional epithelium extending to the most apical point of root instrumentation (Figs. lA and 1B). Repair of alveolar bone appeared to have occurred along a line denoted by the arrows. The connective tissue fibers between the junctional epithelium and the alveolar bone were oriented parallel to the long axis of the tooth. The width of this connective tissue was 0.17 mm, only slghtly greater than the normal width of the periodontal ligament in the Rhesus monkey, which is approximately 0.15 mm. Examination of step serial sections revealed that this relationship existed for approximately 1.0 mm of the bucco-lingual width of the tooth.