Date of Award
Spring 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Dentistry
First Advisor
Stover, Sheila
Second Advisor
Tayebi, Lobat
Third Advisor
Hashimoto, Lance
Abstract
Periodontal ligament cell viability at the time of tooth replantation is of utmost importance for proper repair of the damaged tissues (1). Multiple different options are currently available for storage of an avulsed tooth. The goal of this study was to investigate new storage media and evaluate their ability to maintain cell viability over time. Materials and Methods: Cultured human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLF) were seeded on 96-well plates. These cells were exposed to different storage media including: Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), EMT Toothsaver (EMT), Save-A-Tooth (SAT), trehalose (T300), cell culture media, water, and different formulations of HBSS combined with trehalose (HBSST150, HBSST50) and cell culture media with trehalose (mediaT150, mediaT50). Experimental groups were tested at both room temperature (22C) and refrigeration (4oC). Cell viability results were read at 1, 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours. Results: At room temperature, mediaT150, mediaT50, and media performed the best out of all the experimental groups but only mediaT150 was significantly better than the next best storage media, HBSS. T300 performed better than SAT, EMT and water but was only significantly better than water. SAT and EMT were not significantly different from water. At refrigerated temperature the best performing storage media included mediaT150, HBSST150, mediaT50, media, and HBSST50. The next highest performing group included T300 and HBSS which were not significantly different from HBSST50 and media. SAT was found not significantly different from EMT but was better than water. EMT was the worst performing experimental group and had no significant difference from water. Conclusion: Cell culture media in combination with 150mM trehalose had a significantly better performance than HBSS as a storage media, especially over the first 12 hours. The current commercially available storage media (SAT and EMT) were not significantly different from water at room temperature. Room temperature storage is superior to refrigerated storage for PDL cells. Trehalose has promising results as a storage media alone or in combination with HBSS or cell culture media.