5-FU has been widely used to treat various types of cancer. It inhibits thymidylate synthase and both RNA and DNA synthesis, causing marked apoptosis.[22] Several anticancer agents, including 5-FU, have been shown to promote ROS generation this website in both normal tissue and cancer cells,[23,24] and overproduction of ROS is a major cause of mucosal injury.[25] In the present study, boron had no significant effect on the healing process of mucositis. However, there were indications that the rate of recovery from mucositis could be improved. On day 3, inflammation was more intense in BG than in CG. On day 6, necrosis was observed in both BG and CG; CG had moderate inflammation, and BG had dense inflammation and granulation tissue around the necrotic area. However, on days 9 and 12, there was no difference between groups.

It appears that the effect of boron declines as healing progresses and disappears by the time the mucosa has fully recovered. Antioxidants may affect the quantity of damaging ROS, which are generated in the first of five recognized stages of mucositis.[2,3,26] Therefore, the effect of boron may not have been detected in the latter stages. In addition, antioxidants may play a protective role in the first stage of mucositis. Boron may be able to prevent rather than heal mucositis. In animal studies, boron has a more pronounced beneficial effect on bone[17,27,28] and mineral metabolism[9,29,30] than on soft tissues.[31,32] This may help explain the ineffectiveness of boron in healing mucositis. CONCLUSIONS We found no beneficial effect of boron on the healing process of 5-FU-induced OM.

Although a supranutritional dose of boron changed the nature of the healing process, it did not affect the eventual restoration of epithelial tissue. These findings should be interpreted with caution and in light of the limitations of the study. Indeed, the reason for publishing this limited study is not to provide a definitive conclusion, but to contribute to the knowledge of new therapeutic approaches for mucositis. Additional research is warranted to elucidate the pathogenic inflammatory mechanisms involved in mucositis and the prophylactic and therapeutic roles of antioxidants. Footnotes Source of Support: This study was supported by a grant 2010-?0277 from the Research Fund, National Boron Institute, Turkey.

Conflict of Interest: None declared
Mandibular third molars are removed for various reasons.[1] More recently, they have Cilengitide been used in autotransplantation procedures to replace non-restorable teeth.[2] The transplantation of third molars may help to maintain alveolar bone and enable endosseous implantation without requiring bone regeneration, fulfilling functional and aesthetic demands.[3,4] Information regarding morphology and number of roots may be especially beneficial for careful extraction and subsequent endodontic procedures in autotransplantation.[5] Root morphology may vary among different population groups.