The impact of moderate physical exercise, alone or combined with omega-3 supplementation, on apical periodontitis induced in rats.

Objective: To investigate the impact of moderate-intensity physical exercise (PE), alone or in combination with omega-3 supplementation (O), on apical periodontitis (AP) in rats, by analyzing the inflammatory profile, and the presence and distribution of bacteria within the root canal and apical region. Methods: Thirty Wistar rats divided into 3 groups: C; PE and PE+O. The exercise protocol occurred in two stages, acclimatization and swimming training. Omega-3 was administered via gavage during 60 days. AP was induced on the 30th day and the rats were euthanized on the 60th day. Maxillary molars were processed and stained with Hematoxylin-and-Eosin, immunohistochemistry for IL-17 and TNF-α and Brown-Brenn. The analyses were carried out by assigning scores submitted to Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, and Tukey tests, with 5% significance. Results: The intensity of the inflammatory infiltrate was higher in C group (p<0.05). PE alone reduced immunostaining for TNF-α and limited the spread of bacteria (p<0.05). Combined with omega-3 PE reduced immunostaining for IL-17. Conclusion: PE sensitized the defense mechanisms, attenuating inflammation, through the modulation of TNF-α and contained bacterial contamination. PE+O significantly improved the modulating the inflammatory pathway by controlling IL-17. Clinical Relevance: Recommending physical activity and the use of omega-3 to patients can result in more successful endodontic treatment.