Distraction osteogenesis (DO) has gained clinical acceptance as a surgical technique for treatment of congenital craniomaxillofacial deficiencies requiring skeletal expansion. The use of this technique elsewhere requires more information on overcoming difficult clinical settings, for which new animal models will be needed. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a model of impaired DO of the rat mandible with nicotine. Twenty rats underwent a right vertical mandibular body osteotomy, after which distraction began with custom-made percutaneous devices and a 3-day latency period, 6-day distraction (0.25 mm twice daily) and 30 days of neutral fixation. Rats received either nicotine or placebo slow-release pellets. Specimens were analysed after removal of the devices for quantitative radiographic bone fill, amount of bone advancement and histological features. The mean radiographic bone-fill score with nicotine treatment was 75% of that with placebo (P=0.0036). The nicotine-treated rats had less (49%) elongation than the placebo-treated controls (P=0.0008). Histological analysis demonstrated less bone, vascularity and cellular activity in nicotine-treated rats. This study shows that nicotine reproducibly inhibits osteogenesis, vascularity and bone lengthening in mandibular DO.