Influence of the antineoplastic agent cyclophosphamide on dental development in rat molars

Abstract

The effect of cyclophosphamide (Cy) on tooth development was studied in molars of 18 young Sprague-Dawley rats. Doses of 30 mg/kg body weight of Cy dissolved in 1 ml 0.9% NaCl were administered to 18 experimental rats and 1 ml 0.9% NaCl to 18 control rats at 10 and 13 days of age. The most obvious changes in the experimental teeth could be seen in the developing pulp of the third molar and developing roots of the first and second molars. Wide cell-free areas appeared in the third molar 2 days after the last injection; later these areas turned into mineralized osteodentin. Similar areas could be observed also in the roots of the first and second molars. These changes were related to the developmental stage of the area.