Estrogen Withdrawal Transiently Increased Bone Turnover Without Affecting the Bone Balance Along the Tooth Socket in Rats

Background: Estrogen withdrawal causes marked bone loss in the appendicular skeleton but slightly affects mandibular cancellous bone; in contrast, little is known of its effects on alveolar wall turnover associated with tooth drift. In this study, we assessed short‐term changes in alveolar wall turnover after an ovariectomy and compared it to other bone sites exhibiting different levels of turnover. Methods: Forty Sprague‐Dawley rats were ovariectomized or sham operated. Right mandibles and femurs were processed without demineralization for bone histomorphometry in three different sites: the alveolar wall around the first molar buccal root, apical interradicular bone, and femoral metaphysis. Bone changes were assessed 14 and 28 days after the ovariectomy. Data were compared using non‐parametric statistics. Results: At 14 days, on the resorption side of the alveolar wall, resorption parameters were higher in the ovariectomized rats (P