Dental Research Experiments on Animals
Most dental research experiments conducted use animals as test subjects - small animals such as rats, mice, and ferrets, large animals such as dogs and pigs, and non-human primates, but questions of ethics still remain.
The answer is complicated, as much of recent dental research is in regards to the treatment of peri-implantitis - gum inflammation and bone deterioration in bones which support a dental implant, the development of oral diseases, and how drugs used to treat osteoporosis cause necrosis of jaw bones.
With the development of the “Replace, Reduce, Refine” approach to animal experiments, alternative methods or replacements for animals must be considered first and foremost, the number of animals reduced so that the most can be gained from a few, then the methods refined so that even fewer animals would be needed for future experiments.
Much of the immune-response to oral bacteria and disease is closely tied to the inflammation and the health of the dental pulp (connective tissues within the tooth) which is dependent on numerous other factors like age, general health, and predisposition - all of which are hard to simulate even with animal models - requiring human clinical trials.
Thus, animal studies, as well as in vitro studies (test tube or petri-dish studies), must be considered, as well as experimental supplementary alternatives such as 3D tissue printing and in silico or computer modeling. In the end, it’s necessary to choose the model most suited to the goal of the study - whether or not an animal or an in vitro subject is a better fit, and for the proper analysis techniques to be used depending on the model chosen.
Sources:
“Animal Testing and Experiments FAQ.” The Humane Society of the United States, https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/animals-used-experiments-faq.
Aubeux, D., Renard, E., Pérez, F., Tessier, S., Geoffroy, V., & Gaudin, A. (2021, April 8). Review of animal models to study pulp inflammation. Frontiers. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdmed.2021.673552/full
Gawel, Richard. “Dental Implant Research Involving Dogs Draws Controversy.” Dentistry Today, 30 Sept. 2021, https://www.dentistrytoday.com/dental-implant-research-involving-dogs-draws-controversy/.
Peri-implant diseases. American Academy of Periodontology. (2019, June 21). Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.perio.org/for-patients/periodontal-treatments-and-procedures/dental-implant-procedures/peri-implant-diseases/
Ramonaite, I. (2021, March 1). Moving away from animal testing in dentistry. Dental Tribune International. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.dental-tribune.com/news/moving-away-from-animal-testing-in-dentistry/
Schwarz, F., Derks, J., Monje, A., & Wang, H.-L. (2018, June). Peri-implantitis. Journal of periodontology. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29926957/#:~:text=Conclusions%3A%201)Peri%2Dimplantitis,progressive%20loss%20of%20supporting%20bone
Staubli, N., Schmidt, J. C., Rinne, C. A., Signer-Buset, S. L., Rodriguez, F. R., & Walter, C. (2019, May 1). Animal Experiments in periodontal and peri-implant research: Are there any changes? Dentistry journal. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6631533/