A study evaluated the ability of soymilk, powdered milk, and Hank’s balanced salt solution (HBSS) to maintain human periodontal ligament (PDL) cell viability in vitro. PDL cells were obtained from extracted healthy third molars and cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagles medium (DMEM). The cultures were exposed for one, 2, 4, and 8 hours to experimental solutions at 37°C. Tap water served as a negative control and DMEM served as a positive control. The viable cells were then counted using the trypan blue exclusion technique. Data were analyzed by using one-way ANOVA, post hoc Scheffe, and 2-way ANOVA test. After statistical analysis, the study found that HBSS, powdered baby formula, and soymilk maintain cell viability equally well in different periods of times, but that tap water cannot keep cells viable as well as the other solutions. The study concludes that soymilk and powdered baby formula can be recommended as suitable storage media for avulsed teeth for up to 8 hours.
(Source: Moazami F et al. Comparison of soymilk, powdered milk, Hank’s balanced salt solution and tap water on periodontal ligament cell survival. Dental Traumatology; first published online September 5, 2011)
