Oral Rehydration Salt-Liquid as an Alternative Storage Medium - A Preliminary Study

Objective: To assess the efficacy of Oral Rehydration Salt-Liquid (ORS-L) in the maintenance of the viability of Periodontal ligament cells (PDL). Materials and Method: Twenty freshly extracted teeth were used for this study. They were then randomly divided into 3 groups: Positive control group - 5 teeth which were immediately subjected to collagenase assay, without immersing in ORS-L; Negative control group - 5 teeth with an extra oral dry time of 24 hours, followed by subjecting to collagense assay without immersing in ORS-L and Test group (ORS-L) - 10 teeth with an extra oral dry period of 30 minutes, followed by immersion in ORS-L for a period of 45 minutes and then subjected to collagenase assay. The mean number of viable PDL cells were counted on a hemocytometer under 20X magnification. Results: The mean number of viable PDL cells was highest in the positive control group. In comparison to the negative control group, the test group showed a higher number of viable PDL cells. Conclusion: The study found that ORS-L was an effective solution in maintaining the viability of PDL cells.