Alterations in the gustatory papillae after anterior bite plate insertion in growing rats.

Objectives: To determine whether the modification of dental occlusion, without molar extraction, affected the gustatory papillae located in the tongue of growing rats.

Materials And Methods: Five-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into an anterior bite plate (ABP) group and a control group. Under general anesthesia, ABPs were placed on the occlusal surfaces of the maxillary incisors, while metal caps covered the mandibular incisal edges of the rats in the ABP group.