The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of chronic lead exposure on the mineral properties of alveolar bone. For this purpose, female Wistar rats (n = 8) were exposed to 1000 ppm lead acetate in drinking water for 90 days, while the control group (n = 5) was treated with sodium acetate. The alveolar bone structure and chemical composition of the dissected mandibles were examined using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to determine possible alterations in alveolar bone due to lead exposure. In addition, changes in bone mechanical properties were analysed using a three-point bending test. Exposure to lead induced notable changes in bone mineralization and properties, specifically a reduction of the trabecular thickness and bone mineral density. Furthermore, there was a reduction in carbonate content and an increase in bone mineral crystallinity. These changes in bone mineralization could be explained by an alteration in bone turnover due to lead exposure. Three-point bending showed a trend of decreased displacement at failure in the mandibles of lead-exposed rats, which could compromise the mechanical stability and normal development of the dentition.

中文翻译：

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慢性铅暴露会改变牙槽骨中的矿物质特性

本研究的目的是调查慢性铅暴露对牙槽骨矿物质特性的影响。为此，雌性 Wistar 大鼠 ( n = 8) 暴露于饮用水中 1000 ppm 的醋酸铅 90 天，而对照组 ( n= 5) 用醋酸钠处理。使用显微计算机断层扫描 (micro-CT)、扫描电子显微镜 (SEM)、电感耦合等离子体发射光谱 (ICP-OES)、衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱检查解剖下颌骨的牙槽骨结构和化学成分(ATR-FTIR) 和 X 射线衍射 (XRD) 技术来确定由于铅暴露可能导致的牙槽骨变化。此外，还使用三点弯曲试验分析了骨力学性能的变化。接触铅会导致骨矿化和特性发生显着变化，特别是小梁厚度和骨矿物质密度的降低。此外，碳酸盐含量减少，骨矿物质结晶度增加。骨矿化的这些变化可以用铅暴露引起的骨转换改变来解释。三点弯曲在铅暴露大鼠的下颌骨中显示出失败时位移减少的趋势，这可能损害牙列的机械稳定性和正常发育。