Modelos animais empregados em pesquisas que testam o efeito da aplicação de agentes químicos na mucosa bucal

This paper presents a review of the methodology employed in experiments testing the effect of topical drugs on the oral mucos a of animal models. Also, the featu- res of hamsters' cheek pouch and oral mucos a of rats and rabbits, which are the laboratory animals usually employed in these experi- ments, are described. Histological sections from sites of oral mucosa of each animal were prepared to analyze the tissular morphology. For the morphometric analysis of the epithelium, the software Image-Pro Plus version 3.0.1® was used. Hamster's cheek pouch was the site in which epithelium (28 to 50/--tm) and stratum cor- neum (4 to 401lm) presented less tickness. Because of its anatomic conformation, hamster's cheek pouch propitiates the retention of drugs, being one of the most em- ployed anatomical sites in studies ofmaterial biocompatibility. Besi- des, the correct choice of the oral site, the proper selection of both vehicle and device for drug appli- cation are essential. Vehicles that adhere to oral mucosa allow lon- ger contact between drug and tis- sular surface. Researchers must respect all available criteria to properly select the biologicmodel, the site of drug administration and the devices to be employed for warranting the achievement ofvalid scientific results. Key words: laboratory animals, oral mucosa, topical administra- tion, chemical compounds.