comparison of skin reaction between mta (produced in iran) and cem in rabbit

pathological changes in pulp and periapical tissues are addressed by endodontic treatment. the material used in this treatment must be biocompatible. the aim of this study is to compare the skin reaction of calcium enriched mixture (cem) and mineral trioxide aggregate (mta) produced in iran on rabbit. sixteen male newzeland albino rabbits weighting 2 kg were used. the animals back hair was shaved, 24 hours before application of each material. the material was applied on two sites (2 × 2 cm) while the third site was used as control. all sites were covered by gauze and bandaged for 4 hours. then the material's remnants were washed off the sites of application. observations were performed in 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours after removing the materials. erythematous surface areas were measured by the morphometric method. after sacrificing animals the skins were dissected and the specimens were prepared for histological evaluation. there were significant differences between cem and mta in erythematous surface areas at 1, 24 and 48 hours after removing the materials (p< 0.05). however there was no significant difference at 72 hours after removing the materials. data showed significant differences in counted cells between mta and control sample (p=0.0001) and between mta and cem (p=0.035). there was no significant difference between control and cem (p>0.05). the average erythematous surface areas were wider in mta sites than cem sites. as a conclusion it seems that biocompatibility of cem could be more than mta.