[Oral mucosa analog allografts in non-consanguineous rats].

INTRODUCTION: Although there are therapeutic options for the treatment of oral mucosa defects, the need for functional, anatomical and aesthetically similar substitutes persists, as well as for solutions to reduce autologous grafts morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical and histological compatibility of equivalent oral mucosa allografts generated through tissue engineering in non-consanguineous rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a sample of oral mucosa from Sprague Dawley rats to obtain a fibroblast culture and a keratinocytes and fibroblasts co-culture. In both cases, we used a commercial collagen membrane as "scaffold". After ten weeks of culture, we grafted the resulting membranes into four Wistar rats. The first phase of the study was the development of the oral mucosa equivalents generated by tissue engineering. Then, we implanted them in immunocompetent Wistar rats, and finallywe evaluated the clinical and histological features of the allografts.

RESULTS: In vivo evaluation of mucosal substitutes showed a correct integration of artificial oral mucosa in immunocompetent hosts, with an increase in periodontal biotype and the creation of a zone with increased keratinization. Histologically, the tissue was similar to the control oral mucosa sample with no inflammatory reaction nor clinical or histological rejection signs.

CONCLUSION: The equivalent oral mucosa allografts generated by tissue engineering showed clinical and histological compatibility.