The Ovariectomized Rat as a Model for Studying Alveolar Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women

Table 2

Summary of studies investigating mandibular health in rats for 12 weeks or more after ovariectomy.

Rat strain	Sample size per group	Age at OVX (wks)	OVX duration (wks)	Diet	Technology	Main findings for mandible, compared to sham control	Reference
Wistar		6	12	1.15% Ca,; 0.35% P	Histomorphometry	(i) 24% decrease in BV	[44]
Wistar		35	13	0.01% Ca	pQCT	(i) 7% decrease in total BMD; (ii) 11% decrease in Tb.BMD; (iii) 1% decrease in Ct.BMD	[49]
Sprague-Dawley		13	16	Unknown	DXA,; pQCT	(i) No change in BMD; (ii) 13% decrease in Tb.BMD; (iii) No change in Ct.BMD	[51]
Lewis-Brown-Norway		11	16	Unknown	µ-CT	(i) 18% decrease in BV/TV; (ii) 28% decrease in Tb.Th; (iii) 67% increase in Tb.Sp; (iv) 22% increase in SMI	[45]
Wistar		26	16	0.1% Ca	pQCT	(i) 3% decrease in total BMD	[50]
Sprague-Dawley		28	17	1.1% Ca,; 0.80% P	DXA,; µ-CT	(i) No change in BMD; (ii) 6% decrease in Tb.N; (iii) 19% decrease in Conn.D; (iv) No change in BV/TV; (v) No change in Tb.Th	[46]
Sprague-Dawley		26	29	1.0% Ca	DXA, histomorphometry	(i) No change in total or molar region BMD; (ii) 8% decrease in bone area fraction; (iii) No change in area moment of inertia	[47]
Lewis-Brown-Norway		13	52	Unknown	Radiograph	(i) 16% decrease in Ct.Th	[52]
Fischer		26	52	1.15% Ca,; 0.88% P,; 0.80 IU/g vit. D^3	µ-CT	(i) 75% decrease in BV/TV; (ii) 46% decrease in Tb.Th; (iii) 58% decrease in Tb.N; (iv) 354% increase in Tb.Sp	[48]

BMD, bone mineral density; Tb.BMD, trabecular BMD; Ct.BMD, cortical BMD; BV, bone volume (2D); BV/TV, bone volume (3D); Tb.N, trabecular number; Tb.Sp, trabecular separation; Tb.Th, trabecular thickness; Ct.Th, cortical thickness; SMI, structure model index; Conn.D, connective density; DXA, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; µ-CT, microcomputed tomography.