Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Anicura Albano Animal Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Acta Vet Scand. 2020 Nov 11;62(1):61. doi: 10.1186/s13028-020-00559-7.
Dental disease is very common in dogs and veterinary professional dental cleaning and examination, together with daily dental home care, is the foundation for good dental health. To our knowledge, no previous study has investigated professional dental cleaning routines in small animal veterinary practice. A validated questionnaire survey was distributed to all veterinarians and veterinary nurses with registered e-mail addresses in the Swedish national registry (veterinarians; n = 3657, veterinary nurses; n = 1650). Response rates were 32% for veterinarians (V) and 38% for veterinary nurses (VN).
In total, 73% (V)/96% (VN) of respondents reported that professional dental cleaning was performed at their work place under general anesthesia, and 27% (V)/18% (VN) that dental cleaning was performed under sedation. Of the respondents, 43% (V)/96% (VN) considered regular dental cleaning under general anesthesia fairly or very important, and 49% (V)/47% (VN) stated that it was sometimes important for good dental health in dogs. A majority of respondents, 84% (V)/97% (VN), reported that dental extractions were performed at their clinic, and 72% (V)/90% (VN) had access to dental radiography equipment.
A majority of Swedish veterinarians and veterinary nurses perform professional dental cleaning under general anesthesia with access to dental radiography equipment, in accordance with national and international recommendations. However, a considerable proportion of professional dental cleanings were performed under sedation only, and extractions performed without access to dental radiography equipment were common, suggesting several areas of improvement in the routines in Swedish veterinary clinics and hospitals. Our results clearly indicate the need for improved educational efforts to increase the awareness among veterinary health professionals regarding guidelines and official recommendations in canine dental care.
犬类的牙科疾病非常普遍，兽医专业的牙齿清洁和检查，以及日常的家庭牙齿护理，是保持良好牙齿健康的基础。据我们所知，以前没有研究调查过小动物兽医实践中的专业牙齿清洁程序。我们向瑞典国家登记处（兽医，n=3657；兽医护士，n=1650）中所有注册有电子邮件地址的兽医和兽医护士分发了一份经过验证的问卷。兽医的回应率为 32%（V），兽医护士的回应率为 38%（VN）。
总共，73%（V）/96%（VN）的受访者报告说，他们的工作场所会在全身麻醉下进行专业的牙齿清洁，27%（V）/18%（VN）的受访者报告说，他们的工作场所会在镇静下进行牙齿清洁。在受访者中，43%（V）/96%（VN）认为定期在全身麻醉下进行牙齿清洁相当或非常重要，49%（V）/47%（VN）表示，这对狗的牙齿健康有时很重要。大多数受访者（84%（V）/97%（VN））报告说，他们的诊所会进行拔牙操作，并且 72%（V）/90%（VN）可以使用牙科 X 光设备。
大多数瑞典兽医和兽医护士都遵循国家和国际建议，在全身麻醉下进行专业的牙齿清洁，并使用牙科 X 光设备。然而，相当一部分的专业牙齿清洁是在镇静下进行的，并且在没有使用牙科 X 光设备的情况下进行拔牙操作也很常见，这表明瑞典兽医诊所和医院的常规操作还有几个需要改进的地方。我们的结果清楚地表明，需要加强教育工作，以提高兽医保健专业人员对犬齿护理指南和官方建议的认识。
