Effect of nifedipine on gingival enlargement and periodontal breakdown in ligature-induced periodontitis in rats

Objective: A recent consensus report could not find specific reports of the effect of nifedipine on the destruction of the periodontal tissues. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of nifedipine on gingival enlargement and periodontal breakdown using a ligature-induced periodontitis in rats. Materials and methods: Fifty, male, 60 days old, Wistar rats, were divided into six groups. Cotton sutures were placed around the upper second molars. Two groups of 10 rats each did not receive ligatures and were treated daily with either saline solution or nifedipine 50 mg/kg/day. Two groups of 10 rats received ligatures and were also treated daily with saline solution or nifedipine 50 mg/kg/day. Two additional groups (nifedipine 10 and 100 mg/kg/day) were included to explore a possible dose-response relationship. Animals were euthanatised at 30 days. Internal and oral epithelium, total and inflamed connective tissue, gingival thickness and height, and bone loss were assessed histologically. Results: Nifedipine alone was not sufficient to promote gingival enlargement or periodontal destruction in the absence of the ligature. Compared to animals with ligatures only, the group that received ligatures and nifedipine 50 mg/kg/day showed significant higher estimates for total and inflamed connective tissue, gingival thickness and height. No significant differences were observed for bone loss between these experimental groups. The other dosages of nifedipine did not provide additional information. Conclusion: Nifedipine itself did not lead to gingival enlargement in rats. In the presence of biofilm accumulation, nifedipine yielded greater gingival enlargement and periodontal inflammation, but it did not increase periodontal destruction.