Estimation of periodontal pocket surface area in small to medium dogs: a proof-of-concept study

Kazuya Tamura,Yasir Dilshad Siddiqui,Hitomi Tamura-Naito,Masako Tokuzen-Tai,Shogo Takashiba,Yoshiharu Nagahara,Kazu Hatanaka-Takeuchi,Tadashi Yamamoto

doi:10.1186/s12917-021-03116-0

Abstract

BackgroundPeriodontal disease is the most common dental disease in dogs. Although the systemic effects of periodontal disease have not been clarified in veterinary science, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of periodontal disease in clinical trials in the future. There have been a few clinical attempts made, however, to assess the severity of periodontal inflammation and its impact on the systemic health of dogs. Meanwhile, in the field of dentistry for humans, the periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) and periodontal epithelial surface area (PESA) have been used to quantitatively assess the degree of periodontal disease affecting a single tooth as well as the overall extent of periodontitis. Recent studies have also suggested the use of these assessments to examine the relationship between periodontal inflammation and systemic health.ResultsThe estimation formula for a dog’s periodontal pocket surface area (PPSA), an alternative to PISA and PESA in humans, was established using body weight and periodontal pocket depth. Actual values were measured using extracted teeth from various dog breeds and sizes (2.3–25.0 kg of body weight) to obtain universal regression equations for PPSA. Altogether, 625 teeth from 73 dogs of 16 breeds were extracted and subsequently analyzed for morphological information.PPSA was measured in 61 dogs of 10 breeds with periodontal disease using the established estimation formulas, and the correlation between PPSA and preoperative blood chemistry data was analyzed accordingly. A strong correlation was found between PPSA and serum globulin (r = 0.71) while moderate correlations were found for C-reactive protein (r = 0.54) and serum albumin (r = -0.51).ConclusionsEstimation formulas using body weight and the 6-point probing depth were established for determining PPSA. Direct correlations between PPSA and several blood test results were observed in the study sample. Taken together, these results suggest that PPSA could be useful for evaluating the effects of periodontitis on systemic conditions in dogs.

Highlights

Periodontal disease is the most common dental disease in dogs
Estimation formulas using body weight and the 6-point probing depth were established for determin‐ ing periodontal pocket surface area (PPSA)
Direct correlations between PPSA and several blood test results were observed in the study sample

Summary

Introduction

Periodontal disease is the most common dental disease in dogs. There have been a few clinical attempts made, to assess the severity of periodontal inflammation and its impact on the systemic health of dogs. Recent studies have suggested the use of these assessments to examine the relationship between periodontal inflammation and systemic health. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines [4] suggest that periodontal disease in dogs may influence systemic diseases such as diabetes, malignant tumors, early death, and chronic inflammation. Several veterinary clinical studies have suggested systemic effects of periodontal disease [5,6,7,8]. The assessment of the extent of periodontal disease in many clinical trials was not quantitative

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Conclusion