Occlusal disharmony accelerates the initiation of atherosclerosis in apoE knockout rats

摘要

Background Psychosocial stress is one of the risk factors for atherosclerosis. As occlusal disharmony induces psychological stress, we hypothesized that psychological stress by occlusal disharmony accelerates atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of occlusal disharmony on the initiation of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (apoE) knockout rats. Methods Fourteen male apoE-knockout rats (age; 8 weeks) (Sprague–Dawley strain background) were divided into two groups of seven rats: the occlusal disharmony group and the no treatment (control) group. In the occlusal disharmony group, the maxillary molar cusps were cut off for the 8-week experimental period. Results In the occlusal disharmony group, the percentages of the area of total aortic lumen occupied by plaques and lipid were significantly higher than those in the control group (p?