In the last 20-30 years, scientific research has shown repeatedly that pigs are one of the best animals for human-surrogate research. They are close matches to humans in many areas, including their skin, immune system, kidney, and liver function. Pigs are also easily bred, and their post-mortem tissue can be used in numerous ways to improve human health research. Now it seems that their jaws and teeth have also made the cut. A recent study published in BMC Oral Health described a “novel” attempt to utilize ex vivo domestic pig mandibles in a dental procedure. It was conducted among several experienced dentists, as well as trainees, and rated based on how realistic the experience was.
The results were clear: a pig’s jaw can serve as a proxy for both dental product testing and student training. Read on to learn more about porcine dental models and how an animal biotech company can best serve your training needs.
Studying A Porcine Dental Model
The study itself was simple: several pigs’ heads were given to a selection of dental experts and trainees, who then created and repaired defects in the porcine teeth and jawbone.
The most novel aspect, aside from using ex vivo materials, is that the heads were hooked up to an organ-assisted perfusion device to simulate the action of blood circulation and tissue oxygenation – making the pigs’ heads behave more like they would in a living creature.
Then the participants were asked to rate their experience on a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree), for both face validity and content validity.
The overall results were extremely positive. All participants, regardless of experience level, rated the experience around four out of five, which was quite good for such an unusual setup. Both the experts and trainees seemed equally impressed by the process. One trainee even specifically commented that it was more realistic than any of the training models they’d used previously.
That said, there were some minor issues that the study mentioned. One procedure had to be aborted because the head’s blood vessels failed to properly carry the pumped blood. Also, the porcine blood did not coagulate (clot) properly, leading its viscosity to vary from blood in a living subject. The authors do point out that this could be beneficial in studies specifically in coagulation disorders or testing anti-coagulants.
No non-human testing model is ever going to precisely replicate the experience of working on a living person, but it seems this is one of the closest simulations we’ve yet discovered.
The Benefits of Ex Vivo Porcine Experimentation
Along with a discussion of the experiment itself, the authors present several reasons why this process could be beneficial:
1 – Less living animal experimentation
Experimenting with living creatures is an unfortunate necessity in medical research, but no reasonable person wants to harm more animals than is strictly necessary. If ex vivo porcine tissue is shown to be almost as good as an in vivo study, that could significantly reduce the pain inflicted – as well as reduce the psychological toll on researchers.
2 – Ex vivo is better than in vitro
In vitro experiments may avoid harm to living subjects, but they often have limited translational value. These studies on domestic pig mandibles could help replace in vitro experiments, improving overall reliability.
3 – Easier than human cadaver research
Human cadavers may be the gold standard in ex vivo studies, but there are numerous issues with obtaining and utilizing them – including high costs of obtaining bodies and ethical concerns with proper treatment of the dead. This process could significantly reduce the costs of late-stage dental product testing, as well as the costs of training.
4 – Swine are readily available
Swine is plentiful around the world, one of the cheapest and easiest animals to obtain. Likewise, their bodies, post-mortem tissue, and other parts are easily obtained from numerous sources. This too would help reduce the overall costs and burdens associated with medical research.
However, we do take issue with one specific suggestion made by the paper: using pigs’ jaws sourced from local slaughterhouses. There are better alternatives!
Reliable Sourcing Makes for Better Experiments
The paper specifically mentions that they obtained the domestic pig mandibles from a local slaughterhouse, from animals already killed for food. This is understandable enough, in the limited context of the research. The heads were undoubtedly quite cheap, and there are few ethical concerns about experimenting on animals who were killed for other reasons.
However, the paper itself also reveals the problem with this approach: butchers are skilled at their trade, but they’re not in the business of producing medical-grade post-mortem tissues. As mentioned above, one of the heads failed to work with their organ assistance device due to the specifics of how it was severed, causing that experiment to be canceled. While this was a minor issue in a purely exploratory experiment, it could be a major problem for more nuanced or detailed research.
If they had sourced their pig tissues from an experienced medical-grade biological harvesting operation, they could have conducted their experiment knowing that every head was properly prepared for the work. It would have been slightly more expensive than buying from a slaughterhouse, but the materials provided would have been of significantly higher quality.
Animal Biotech Industries Is Your Partner for Ex Vivo Porcine Materials
For over 30 years, ABI has been a reliable partner to the medical research industry, with deep experience providing all manner of post-mortem porcine tissues.
Our expert staff specializes in harvesting the exact organs, tissues, and other materials you need, to your specifications. All materials are ethically sourced from dead animals, and we aim to always meet your research needs.
We also offer fast, reliable, eco-friendly transportation of materials in controlled climates. In many cases, we can offer next-day shipping or even same-day delivery, for rush jobs. Prefer your items to be frozen and shipped in dry ice? We can make it happen.
No matter your needs, ABI can be your one-stop source for any postmortem porcine materials. Click here to browse our catalog, or contact us for special arrangements.
