Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using cone beam CT to diagnose dental disease in pet rabbits
By Riggs, G G et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2017·William Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical Application of Cone Beam Computed Tomography of the Rabbit Head: Part 2-Dental Disease.
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
A group of 15 pet rabbits underwent a special type of imaging called cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) to check for dental problems. Many of these rabbits showed issues like tooth misalignment, tooth elongation, and signs of inflammation that might not be visible during a regular oral exam. The CBCT images helped veterinarians identify these hidden dental diseases and plan appropriate treatments. This study highlights how useful CBCT can be for diagnosing dental issues in rabbits, ensuring they receive the care they need.
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Abstract
Domestic rabbits are increasing in popularity as household pets; therefore, veterinarians need to be familiar with the most common diseases afflicting rabbits including dental disease. Current diagnostic approaches include gross oral examination, endoscopic oral examination, skull radiography, and computed tomography (CT). Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), a new oral and maxillofacial imaging modality that has the capability to produce high-resolution images, has not yet been described for use in evaluating dental disease in rabbits. A total of 15 client-owned rabbits had CBCT, oral examination, dental charting, and dental treatment performed under general anesthesia. Images were evaluated using transverse and custom multiplanar (MPR), 3D, and panoramic reconstructed images. The CBCT findings were grouped into abnormalities that could be detected on conscious oral examination vs. abnormalities that could not be detected by conscious oral examination. Potential associations between the two categories were examined by pairwise Fisher's exact test with statistical significance determined by < 0.05. The most common findings identified on CBCT images were periodontal ligament space widening (14/15), premolar and molar malocclusion (13/15), apical elongation (13/15), coronal elongation (12/15), inflammatory tooth resorption (12/15), periapical lucency (11/15), moth-eaten pattern of osteolysis of the alveolar bone (9/15), ventral mandibular border contour changes (9/15), and missing teeth (8/15). Of the CBCT abnormalities likely to be observed on oral examination, coronal elongation (detectable on oral examination) was significantly associated with apical elongation ( = 0.029). There were no other significant associations between CBCT findings that are also clinically detectable and CBCT findings that are not be detectable on oral examination. This suggests that pathology often exists that is not apparent upon oral examination. This study establishes the common CBCT findings associated with dental disease in rabbits and demonstrates the feasibility of this technology to diagnose and plan treatment in dental disorders in this species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28194401/