Immediate and late effects of Carnoy's solution on the mandibular bone of Wistar rats.

Aim: Carnoy's solution is used as a complementary treatment following enucleation of odontogenic keratocysts to reduce its recurrence rate. However, its use is still controversial in the area of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of Carnoy's solution on the mandibular bone of Wistar rats in vivo, with special attention to the detrimental effects on osseous tissue. Material and methods: Monocortical defects created in the mandibular body of Wistar rats were exposed to Carnoy's solution or to saline solution for 5 min. All specimens were submitted to a histological analysis and the Wilcoxon Signed‐Rank test compared the mean percentage and percent of median of the amount of bone necrosis, blood clot and bone neoformation between the defects treated with CS and saline solution. P value <0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: Carnoy's solution did not cause more bone necrosis than the saline solution immediately and 3 days after applications (P = 0.135 and 0.287 respectively) but diminished the formation of blood clot after 3 days (P = 0.019). However, there were no differences in the quantity and quality of bone neoformation between CS and saline 10 days after applications (P = 0.459). Conclusions: The application of Carnoy's solution did not cause immediate nor late damage to the mandible of Wistar rats in vivo. Its use should be considered as a safe procedure and is encouraged after enucleation of keratocysts to eliminate possible epithelial cell nests, provided there is a clear clinical indication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]