Effect of calcitonin on alveolar wound healing

The effect of calcitonin (CT) on alveolar wound healing was studied with histomorphometric methods. Wistar rats weighing 80–90 g were submitted to extraction of the three mandibular molars. Half of them were injected intraperitoneally with daily therapeutic doses of CT. The control group received no further treatment. All the rats were killed 14 days after the onset of the experiment. Bone healing was impaired in CT treated animals and involved a more intense bone remodeling activity. Bone resorptive areas were present both on the profiles of the newly formed bone and on the alveolar ridge surface. These results suggest that CT would accelerate the process of bone healing.