Serial sections (8 semi-serial sections of each maxilla, with a 5 μm thickness for each section) were obtained using a microtome (Leica RM2255, Germany) and stained with H.E. (hematoxylin and eosin). Morphometric measurements were performed by a single calibrated investigator with a binocular light microscope (Olympus Optical Co., Tokyo, Japan) using a 100x immersion objective and a Zeiss kpl 8X eyepiece containing a Zeiss II integration grid (Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH, Jena, Germany) with 10 parallel lines and 100 points in a quadrangular area. The grid image was successively superimposed on approximately 13 histological fields per histological section, comprised of all tooth sockets from the coronal limit adjacent to the gingival epithelium until the lower apical limit. For each animal/socket, sections from the coronal, medial and apical thirds were evaluated. In the morphometric analysis, points were counted coinciding with the images of the following components of the alveolar socket: clot, inflammatory cells, blood vessels, fibroblasts, collagen fibers, bone matrix, osteoblasts, osteoclasts and other components (empty space left by the inflammatory exudate or intercellular liquid and bone marrow); similar to previous descriptions [5 (link), 36 (link)–38 (link)]. The results are presented as the volume density (mean) for each evaluated structure.
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