Seventy-two albino rats were used in order to analyze what occurs when fresh cartilage autografts and allografts are placed into dental extraction sockets. The rats were killed from 1 to 120 days, and the following conclusions were made: autografts were better accepted; there was a tendency to eliminate graft material as healing took place (this was more pronounced in the allograft group); there was appositional growth of the grafts in both graft groups, although this was more pronounced in the autogenous group; the bone trabeculae near the graft in the dental sockets were not formed from the perichondrium; the rate of the alveolar bone healing was retarded, especially in animals that received allografts; with respect to the alveolar socket healing process, there is no advantage in the use of cartilage grafts.