Quantitation of the healing palatal mucoperiosteal wound in the beagle dog.

The healing of mucoperiosteal excision wounds in the palate of the beagle dog was studied quantitatively using the methods of ultrastructural stereology. Healing wounds were assessed after 5, 13, and 18 days and the volume density of connective-tissue components was determined by point counting. In a separate count the numerical density and average individual cell volume of the various connective-tissue cells was obtained. All determinations were made at 4 levels in the connective tissue: in the subepithelial region, the lamina propria, the submucosa and the periosteum. When the quantitative data from the healing wounds were compared with those obtained from normal, unwounded, control tissue it was apparent that values for the periosteum and submucosa returned close to control values 13 days after wounding, whereas those for the subepithelial layer and lamina propria were still significantly different from the controls at 18 days. Thus there is a gradient of healing between the bone and the surface epithelium and complete repair and remodelling of the tissue is likely to take longer than 18 days.