AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF STARCH SPONGE IMPLANTED IN BONE

¹ Rodriguez Army Hospital, APO 851, New York, N. Y.

The present investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of starch sponge in bone. Dogs were used as experimental animals and starch sponge was implanted in the tooth socket and ilium. The clinical phase of the investigation was carried out in humans and consisted of a determination of the incidence of alveolar osteitis following implantation of the sponge.

It was determined that starch sponge does not interfere with osteogenesis but residual granules remain in the newly formed bone marrow. Due presumably to degradation followed by secondary infection, its use in the dog tooth socket is accompanied by an acute inflammatory reaction with resultant delay in healing. When used in the human tooth socket, the incidence of alveolar osteitis does not increase significantly, but healing is retarded.