371 Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Callus Mineralization

Thursday, March 22, 2012: 2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Presentation Type: Poster Session
M. BELL1, M. HAMRICK1, A. PHONEPASONG1, F. SADANAND1, D. IMMEL2, I. ZAKHARY1, R. MESSER1, and K. WENGER1, 1Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, GA, 2Non-Destructive Examinations, Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC
Objective: Therapeutic whole-body vibration (WBV) has been found in several clinical studies to support bone health.  Potentially, it may be used adjunctively with dental procedures to improve integration of implants and ceramic biomaterials.  The goal of this study was to demonstrate the utility of WBV in augmenting healing in an unloaded fracture model, thereby isolating its effects from normal biomechanical influences.

Method: C57BL/6, 6-month-old male mice (n=9 per group) underwent approved osteotomy of the mid-fibula through a 3-mm skin incision posterolaterally. Blunt dissection was used to access the fibula, which was cut with tenotomy scissors at mid-shaft. Healing progressed for 3 weeks until sacrifice. In one group, mice were given 0.3 g WBV at 25 Hz for 20 min/d, 5 d/wk on a custom vibrating platform. A second osteotomy group was not treated and served as control. Bone density was analyzed in the harvested fibulas by micro-CT (Skyscan).

Result: Radiolucencies across the osteotomy site at 3 weeks were readily apparent in the control group but notably less so in the stimulated group. Bone volume of the callus was 54+/-17% greater (mean+/-std.dev; p=0.003) in the WBV group and bone mineral content 59+/-18% (p=0.005) greater than in controls. However, maximum area at mid-callus was not significantly different between the two groups. Bone density spectrum was 53+/-22% greater in the WBV group than in controls (p=0.022), confirming that WBV accelerated mineralization.

Conclusion: This study showed that WBV has an osteogenic effect independent of intrinsic loading. Further assessments of bone quality are needed in order to better detail the role of various cell phenotypes in the regenerative process. Because WBV appears to have its greatest effect in a biologically activated environment, such as in freshly-disturbed bone, its application to osseous integration in prosthodontics is worth especially investigating.


Keywords: Bone, Mineralization and Trauma-fracture