Veterinary Dentistry - VET2210

Dentistry Charting - VET2210

• Routine dental care is crucial for pets, preventing halitosis and oral bacteria from spreading to internal organs (heart, liver, kidneys).
• It preserves client/patient and client/clinic bonds, and adheres to best practice standards.
• Veterinarians can delegate dental procedures that do not impact tooth shape/structure or position.
• Examples of delegated tasks include root planing, charting, creating molds, dental radiographs , and administering nerve blocks.

Veterinary Dental Terminology

• Brachydont: Small crowns, well-developed roots. (Humans, pigs, carnivores)
• Hypsodont: Large crown beneath gingiva, continual growth throughout life.
• Radicular: Horses
• Aradicular (Elondont): Rodents
• Diphyodont: Two sets of teeth in a lifetime.
• Exodontic: Teeth extraction procedures.
• Endodontic: Treatments inside the tooth (pulp/root canal)
• Plaque: Soft, sticky film on teeth from food, saliva, bacteria, and dead cells.
• Calculus (Tartar): Thick, calcified plaque, combined with saliva minerals (calcium phosphate) to harden.
• Malocclusion: Incorrect alignment of teeth or jaws.
• Anisognathism: Maxilla wider than mandible (can be normal)
• Brachygnathism: Mandible shorter than maxilla (overbite)
• Prognathism: Mandible longer than maxilla (underbite)
• Caries: Bacterial tooth decay triggered by oral bacteria fermenting carbohydrates.
• Attrition: Abnormal breakdown of tooth crowns (Tennis balls & bones)
• Furcation: Area where multi-rooted teeth roots divide (measured with probe).
• Sulcus: Space between marginal gingiva and the tooth

Dentition

• Triadan Quadrants System for tooth numbering.
• Systems for numbering canine and feline teeth.
• Normal occlusion is presented in images.
• Dental formulas for animals (dog, cat, pig, sheep; bovine, horse, ferret) are presented.
• Juvenile teeth eruption timetable (puppy, kitten, dog, cat) presented, including primary and permanent teeth.

Oral Mucosa

• Gingivitis: Gingival tissue inflammation, forming a red line at the gum-tooth junction.
• Stomatitis: Severe ulcerative inflammation of the gingival mucosa, potentially spreading to the oropharynx and larynx.

Calculus and Tartar

• Calculus: Calcified buildup of debris/bacteria on teeth.
• Graded on a 0-4 scale (0=no observable calculus).
• Quantified as mild, moderate, or severe.
• Often forms beneath salivary ducts (carnassial teeth).
• Thickness is measure in millimeters.

Mobility

• Using dental probe, evaluate movement of each tooth.
• Assess and note tooth movement as normal.
• Mobility increases as periodontal attachment loss becomes larger.
• Multiple stages of mobility.

Sulcus Depth

• Sulcus is the space between marginal gingiva and the tooth (measured with probe).
• Canine sulcus depth: 0–3mm
• Feline sulcus depth: 0–1mm
• Calibration lines used for probe measurements.
• Probe is systematically moved around tooth.

Gingival/Alveolar Changes

• Non-neoplastic changes include gingival recession, gingival hyperplasia, alveolitis, and epulis.
• Neoplastic changes include squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), most common in cats, melanoma, osteosarcoma, and other miscellaneous tumors.

Furcations

• Measuring furcation depth with probes to evaluate tissue and bone encapsulation of the furcation
• Stages of furcation include different depths and presence / absence of bone
• Furcation involvement stages are used to identify the existence of issues.
• Feel/appearance of the furcation is smooth

Crown Lesions

• Slab fractures, enamel wear, FORL (tooth resorption): Enamel/tooth fractures in felines, commonly found, and much less common in canines
• Caries

Types of Fractures

• Enamel fractures (involving enamel only)
• Uncomplicated crown fractures(crown only, no pulp exposure)
• Complicated crown fractures(crown that exposes the pulp)
• Uncomplicated crown-root fractures (crown and root surfaces, no pulp exposure)
• Complicated crown-root fractures (crown and root involved, pulp exposure)
• Root fracture (involving the root of the tooth)

Charting - Grading Periodontal Disease

• Periodontal Disease Stages:
• Stage 1 (Gingivitis): Inflammation of the gingival margin, plaque covering teeth.
• Stage 2 (Early Periodontitis): Inflammation extends, subgingival calculus (tartar) develops, bad breath, pain affects eating/behavior.
• Stage 3 (Moderate Periodontitis): Severe attachment loss, red/bleeding gums, chronic infection.
• Stage 4 (Advanced Periodontitis): Extensive destruction, possible organ damage from bacteria spreading through bloodstream.

What is Periodontal Disease?

• A progressive disease damaging oral tissues and structures (teeth), leading to attachment loss, inflammation, infection, and decay.
• Starts with plaque accumulation and bacteria proliferation.
• Early stages often Gram-positive bacteria, shifted to Gram-negative anaerobic as oxygen demand increases in the mouth.
• Endotoxins are produced, causing inflammation, tissue damage and a resulting increase in depth of the sulcus and tooth mobility.

Explore the essential concepts of veterinary dentistry in VET2210. This quiz covers routine dental care for pets, critical terminology, and procedures that veterinarians can delegate. Enhance your understanding of dental functions and terminology crucial for veterinary practice.