Comparative evaluation of behaviors of three naturally occurring products, namely propolis, milk, and egg albumin when used as storage media in extracted teeth for orthodontic purpose

Background: The reasonably successful prognosis in retaining avulsed tooth in its respective position depends on the maintenance of the viability of the periodontal ligament (PDL) cells during the replantation procedure. Various synthetic media have been tried for preserving the viability of PDL cells with considerable success. However, easy availability of these media had been a problem at various occasions. Hence, an attempt was made to test the properties of easily available natural products such as Propolis, milk, and egg albumin. Aim: This study was aimed at comparing the behaviors of three naturally available media, namely propolis, milk, and egg albumin when used as the storage media in preserving the viability of traumatized periodontal cells in an avulsed tooth. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 premolars with closed root apices indicated for the extractions for orthodontic treatment were selected. Initially, these teeth in the experimental group were stored dry immediately after the extraction for 30 minutes, and then, immersed in the respective storage media for 45 minutes. The teeth in the positive control group were assessed immediately after the extraction, whereas the negative control teeth were bench dried for 8 hrs. All the five group samples were then incubated with collagenase and phosphate-buffered saline for 30 minutes, centrifuged and labeled with 0.5% trypan blue for the determination of cell viability. The cells were counted under the light microscope. The statistical analysis was carried out by applying the unpaired t-test. Results: No statistically significant difference was observed in viable PDL cell counts when compared among propolis, milk, and egg albumin. Conclusions: Propolis, milk, or egg albumin could be a good naturally available storage media for avulsed teeth.