Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral disease and bacteria in free-roaming cats
By Whyte, Ana et al.·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2017·Department of Animal Pathology, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Oral Disease and Microbiota in Free-Roaming Cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 34 free-roaming cats were evaluated for oral health as part of a Trap-Neuter-Return program. Only about 38% of the cats had oral disease, with periodontal disease affecting 6 cats and some showing signs of gingivostomatitis, which is inflammation of the gums and mouth. The study found that older cats were more likely to have oral issues, and certain bacteria were more common in healthy mouths compared to those with disease. Overall, the findings suggest that while oral health problems do exist in these cats, they are not widespread.
People also search for: cat oral disease symptoms · free-roaming cat dental health · gingivostomatitis in cats · cat periodontal disease treatment
Abstract
Oral health status was evaluated in 34 free-roaming cats that were submitted to a Trap-Neuter-Return program. Only 38.2% of individual cats showed oral disease. Periodontal disease (PD) was present in 6 cats ( 17.6%). Four cats (11.8%) showed feline gingivostomatitis, and clinical evidence of feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions was detected in only 3 animals (8.8%) by probing, but radiological studies would be necessary for reliable detection. Signs of PD occurred in 31.6% of teeth; only the less severe stages of PD were present. No retention of deciduous teeth, malocclusion, tumors, or dental fractures were found. Calicivirus was detected in 50% of the cats. The most frequent bacteria found were α-hemolytic Streptococcus (23.5%), Staphylococcus (17.6%), Neisseria (15.7%), and Pasteurella (11.8%). A significant association between age and oral disease was found (P = .001). The mean of bacterial strains/genus was higher in healthy mouths than in diseased mouths (4.5 vs. 2.1). In diseased mouths, Staphylococcus was the most frequently isolated genus (23.1%), whereas α-hemolytic Streptococcus was most prevalent in healthy mouths (33.3%). A significant association was detected between Porphyromonas and fungal isolation, with a fear concordance coefficient (κ = .334; P = .016).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29291775/