Oral Examination in a Random Anesthetized Canine Population for the Prevalence of Periodontal Disease and Fractured Teeth

The prevalence of periodontal and dental pathology in a random canine population has not been established by a single prospective clinical evaluation using defined and accepted diagnostic criteria. A prospective anesthetized visual examination and periodontal probing, without imaging, of the canine dentition in a random dog population (369 dogs) was performed. Oral examination and periodontal probing using the American Veterinary Dental College periodontal staging criteria for clinical attachment loss and diagnosis of periodontal disease was used. Periodontal disease stages (PD)1-4 were identified in 98.6% (PD stage 1, 39% and PD stages 2-4, 59.6%) of the dogs. Periodontal disease was significantly associated with skull conformation, body weight, and age. One or more fractured teeth were found in 50.9% of the patients. Mesaticephalic skull conformations had a greater number of tooth fractures compared to brachycephalic and dolichocephalic skull conformations. There were a greater number of fractured teeth with increasing age and body weight. There were a greater number of missing teeth as patient body weight decreased. This study confirmed the prevalence of periodontal disease to be 98.6% (PD1-PD4) in dogs greater than 1 year of age in a random anesthetized dog population based on periodontal examination without radiographic assessment.