Nov 21, 2013 09:39 AM EST By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

An animal rights advocacy group is accusing Georgia Regents University of performing unnecessary dental experiments on animals, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

After conducting a three-month long investigation at the university, the Humane Society of the United States claims the school used dogs to test a dental implant invented by university researchers and to compare the apparatus to a competitors implant. The Humane Society also released a video, narrated by actress Kim Bassinger, about the experiments.

"Dogs don't need to die for frivolous dental experiments," Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of Humane Society, said in a statement. "It's painful to watch these forlorn dogs sacrificed for these questionable purposes." 

At a press conference on Tuesday, Humane Society officials revealed one of their investigators witnessed the university's researchers removing dogs' teeth, replacing them with dental implants and then killing the dogs for a sample of their jaw bones, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The animal rights group is also accusing the university of acquiring its dogs from a "random-source dealer" that is known for animal abuse. Their dealer has, in the past, been charged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for violations of animal welfare laws, according to the group.

"And the situation is compounded by the university's relationship with an unscrupulous animal dealer," Pacelle said.

Dr. Mark Hamrick, senior vice president for research at the university, denied any wrongdoing. He added that the dogs used in the experiments were obtained from a vendor licensed and inspected by the USDA.

"GRU's animal facility and animal use protocols are regularly reviewed and inspected by the (USDA), and USDA has found no incidents of non-compliance," Hamrick said in a statement. " ... The research being done with dogs is neither frivolous nor unnecessary, as alleged by the investigation, and is performed in order to develop safe, effective dental procedures for people."

Hamrick said the surgical procedures shown in the video were performed while the dogs were under anesthesia. He noted that video images showing the animals with open neck wounds were taken after the dogs had been euthanized.

The Humane Society has filed legal complaints against the university with the USDA and the National Institutes of Health.

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