Use of wounds in the parietal bone of the rat for evaluating bone marrow for grafting into periodontal defects

The value of autogenous marrow as a bone graft material was examined. Holes ∼ 2 mm in diameter were made in. the right and left parietal bones of 9 middle –aged Wistar‐strain albino rats weighing ∼ 500 g. Bone marrow was obtained from the medullary cavity of the femur and immediately placed into the left hole, while the right served as a control. All animals were killed 12 weeks postoperatively. Their calvaria were examined radio graphically and by routine histological methods. It was found that whereas the control defects never healed, those grafted with autogenous marrow were consistently filled with a bone ossicle. These findings suggest that bone marrow grafts, may be of value in periodontal therapy.