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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ordinary and high doses of fluoride on rat growth plate cartilage and surrounding bone. Thirty-six newborn Wistar albino male rats were divided equally into three groups and, three weeks after birth, were given the same 1.2 ppm (control group), 100 ppm, and 150 ppm fluoridated water their mothers had been drinking. Radiological and histopathological examinations were performed in the 15th, 17th, 20th, and 23rd weeks. There were significant histopathological variations in chondrocyte morphology and extracellular matrix volume in the zone of growth plate between the control group and the fluoride-treated groups. The main histopathological findings in the rats treated with high doses of fluoride were a decrease in matrix volume and cartilage septae thickness, and an increase in the number and diameter of chondrocytes on growth plate. On the epiphyseal ossification center, irregular lamellae, minimally increased osteoblast numbers, rare zones of woven bone, and irregular and thinned trabeculae were observed. On radiological examination, the main findings were relative widening and late partial fusion of the growth plate of high-dose fluoride treated groups. |
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