DENTAL AND ORAL PATHOLOGY IN TIGERS (PANTHERA TIGRIS) BASED ON ORAL EXAMINATION AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY.

Abstract

Management of dental disease in non-domestic felids under managed care is integral to their overall health and welfare. Accurate evaluation of dental disease by zoo clinicians improves patient care and can influence the decision to utilize dental specialists to assist with complex procedures. Additionally, dental disease frequently occurs subgingivally and cannot be detected without the aid of dental radiography and/or advanced imaging, such as CT. This study aimed to describe the frequency and types of dental pathology observed in a cohort of 15 tigers (Panthera tigris) from a sanctuary, determine the interexaminer agreement between a zoological medicine house officer and a board-certified veterinary dentist and identify subgingival lesions via CT imaging and correlate those findings to oral examinations. Abrasions, complicated crown fractures (CCFx), dental calculus, and periodontal pocketing were all observed in more than half of the individuals on dental examination and exhibited moderate or better interexaminer agreement based on statistical analysis. CT scans revealed alveolar bone loss (ABL) and periapical lysis (PL) most commonly in these same cats. PL was significantly positively correlated with CCFx (r = 0.45, P < 0.0001). These findings confirmed that dental trauma is the most common etiology for dental pathology in this population of tigers and that for most types of dental pathology observed, the zoological medicine house officer and veterinary dentist exhibited moderate agreement or better. Additionally, CT was useful for identifying subgingival lesions such as ABL and PL and may be an important diagnostic tool in cases of CCFx in tigers.