Comparison between electrosurgery and cold blade in tongues of rats: a preliminary experimental study.

PURPOSE To compare tissue cicatrization in the tongue of rats using electrosurgery and the cold blade. METHODS Ten adult male Wistar rats were divided into two groups of 5 animals each, according to the time of sacrifice (3 and 7 days). Each animal had two incisions, one made with a cold blade and the other with an electric blade, both of which were approximately 0.5 mm in length. Following sacrifice of the animals, the tongues were submitted to a histological study in order to classify the presence of angiogenesis, fibroblastic proliferation, epithelial proliferation and inflammatory cells as good, moderate and weak. RESULTS The wound made with electric blade presented a delay in the healing process and a greater inflammatory response as compared with the cold blade, despite the fact that there was no statistically significant difference (p<0.05). CONCLUSION There were no significant statistical differences between electrosurgery and the cold blade in relation to angiogenesis, fibroblastic proliferation, epithelial proliferation or the presence of inflammatory cells at any time of evaluation.