A novel method for constructing a rat multifactorial tooth wear model: accurate, inexpensive, and easily established

Tooth wear, a prevalent multifactorial condition, causes oral issues and indirect systemic risks. However, validated animal models for its clinical pathogenic factors are lacking, hindering pathogenesis study and clinical translation. To fill this gap, this study aims to develop and validate an animal model replicating graded molar wear matching clinical features. By regulating mechanical friction duration and chemical erosion intensity, we’ll create a tool for preclinical multifactorial tooth wear research. We simulated multifactorial dental tooth wear on the molars of Sprague–Dawley rats using acid etching, thermal stimulation (hot and cold), and hard food. Animal models of different degrees of molar wear were achieved by controlling the duration and superimposition of stimuli. Alveolar bones from the animal models were examined using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and histopathological sections to observe the occlusal surface, dental pulp, and periodontal tissues, as well as the distance between the alveolar crest and enamel–cementum junction. Micro-CT results demonstrated that wear patterns consistent with clinical wear severity classifications were successfully replicated by adjusting the method and duration of stimulation. Compared with the control group (0.20 ± 0.02 mm), the distance between the cementoenamel junction and alveolar crest was significantly higher in the experimental group (0.82 ± 0.02 mm), indicating alveolar bone resorption, which is relevant to multifactorial dental tooth wear. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that, compared with the control group, the experimental group exhibited increased inflammation, vacuolar degeneration, dentinal calculus, and formation of reparative dentin in the pulp. The concurrent occurrence of periodontal and pulp lesions during wear aligned with the clinical presentation of wear-associated conditions. We successfully developed an accurate, inexpensive, easily established model of maxillary molar wear in rats. By controlling the duration and type of stimulation with hard food, hot–cold cycles, and acid etching, we quickly and efficiently constructed models with differing degrees of multifactorial tooth wear suitable for experimental studies and clinical needs.