M. L. Kaplan

Predicting Alveolar Bone Loss in Beagles Using Bone-seeking Radiopharmaceutical Uptake

Measurements of bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical uptake obtained at the beginning of this two-year study of beagles with periodontal disease were correlated with the amount of bone loss which occurred during the study. Uptake correlated with bone loss (r=.85), which suggests that uptake may be an indicator of future bone loss.

Nuclear medicine techniques for the detection of active alveolar bone loss.

The use of bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical uptake (BSRU) as an indicator of periodontal disease activity was assessed in untreated beagles with naturally occurring periodontal disease, and in beagles treated with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, flurbiprofen. In untreated beagles, a single uptake measurement was indicative of the rate of bone loss subsequently determined by sequential radiographs. Beagles treated with flurbiprofen demonstrated a significant decrease in rate of bone loss and a corresponding decrease in BSRU. Transfer of this technology to untreated human subjects with moderate to severe periodontal disease also showed a positive correlation between a single measurement of BSRU and the rate of bone loss determined from sequential radiographs. Analysis of these data shows that a single BSRU examination may be indicative of periodontal disease activity.

Semiconductor Probe Measurements in Beagle Pups during Deciduous Tooth Development

Bone-seeking radio pharmaceuticals were used together with clinical and radiographic procedures to study tooth development in dogs. Similarities in the pattern and time course of radiopharmaceutical uptake in jaw areas studied suggest that changes in alveolar bone metabolism are not closely related to eruption times of individual teeth.

Semiconductor Probe Measurements in Beagle Dogs with Periodontal Disease

A miniaturized semiconductor probe was used to measure alveolar bone uptake of a bone-seeking radzopharmaceutical in dogs with destructive periodontal disease. Radiopharmaceutical uptake in localized, advanced disease was greater than in incipient disease and was generalized, with increased uptake occurring in radiographically normal areas and in areas with bone loss.