Influence of different durations of estrogen deficiency on alveolar bone loss in rats

The purpose of this study was to morphometrically evaluate the influence of different durations of ovariectomy-induced estrogen deficiency on alveolar bone loss associated with ligature-induced bone loss in rats. Sixty female Wistar rats were randomly assigned to ovariectomy (OVX test group) or sham operation (SHAM control group). The OVX and SHAM groups were each distributed into three subgroups of ten rats each according to the duration of estrogen deficiency (30, 60 and 90 postoperative days). In all groups, for the last 30 days of the experimental period, cotton ligatures were placed aroun...