Proost Kirsten, Pardon Bart, Vlaminck Lieven
Department of Surgery and Anesthesiology of Domestic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Front Vet Sci. 2022 Feb 24;9:817050. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.817050. eCollection 2022.
Oral health in alpacas is often neglected until severe dental disease becomes evident under the form of a pronounced mandibular swelling with or without fistulation. Mandibular thickness measurements might serve as an easy tool to screen for early increases in thickness thereby identifying alpacas which could benefit from an oral examination.
To study specific risk factors, including age, gender, level of performed measurements and dental disorders, associated with mandibular thickness in alpacas. To determine suitable cutoff values for mandibular thickness at specific locations for the development of a diagnostic test to identify animals with dental disorders.
Cross-sectional study.
Mandibular thickness was measured at standardized locations in 216 alpacas using a Vernier caliper. Risk factors for an increased mandibular thickness were collected through oral examination in sedated animals and by interview of the respective owner. A multivariable linear mixed model was built to identify factors associated with mandibular thickness. Cutoff values for specific dental disorders were obtained after receiver operating characteristics (ROC)-curve analysis.
Mandibular thickness was 0.43 ± Standard Error 0.21 mm [95% Confidence interval (CI) = 0.02-0.84 mm] higher at locations where interproximal gum recession was present ( = 0.039). Severe dental disease caused an increase in thickness of 1.90 mm (95% CI= 1.29-2.51 mm) ( < 0.001). Mandibular thickness with a cutoff of 19.4 mm showed a high accuracy for predicting severe dental disease (Se = 0.41; Sp = 0.92). Specifically, thickness at a level perpendicular to the medial canthus of the eye proved a more precise predictor for severe dental disease (AUC, 0.85; 95% CI 0.74-0.96; < 0.001) with a lower cutoff of 18.5 mm and Sn and Sp of 0.52 and 0.82, respectively.
No radiographic or computed tomographic studies were available to support the diagnosis of dental and/or apical disease.
Mandibular thickness measurements in alpacas can aid early detection of animals in need of specialized dental care. Most animals with an increased mandibular thickness suffer from advanced dental disease. However, routine dental examinations remain necessary to allow the early detection of dental disorders in alpacas.
羊驼的口腔健康常常被忽视，直到严重的牙齿疾病以明显的下颌肿胀（伴有或不伴有瘘管形成）的形式显现出来。下颌厚度测量可能是一种简单的筛查工具，用于早期发现厚度增加的情况，从而识别可能受益于口腔检查的羊驼。
研究与羊驼下颌厚度相关的特定风险因素，包括年龄、性别、测量部位和牙齿疾病。确定特定部位下颌厚度的合适截断值，以开发一种诊断测试来识别患有牙齿疾病的动物。
横断面研究。
使用游标卡尺在216只羊驼的标准化部位测量下颌厚度。通过对镇静动物进行口腔检查和与各自主人访谈，收集下颌厚度增加的风险因素。建立多变量线性混合模型以识别与下颌厚度相关的因素。通过受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析获得特定牙齿疾病的截断值。
存在邻面牙龈退缩的部位，下颌厚度比其他部位高0.43±标准误0.21毫米[95%置信区间（CI）=0.02 - 0.84毫米]（P = 0.039）。严重的牙齿疾病导致厚度增加1.90毫米（95% CI = 1.29 - 2.51毫米）（P < 0.001）。截断值为19.4毫米的下颌厚度对预测严重牙齿疾病具有较高的准确性（敏感性 = 0.41；特异性 = 0.92）。具体而言，垂直于眼内眦水平的厚度被证明是严重牙齿疾病更精确的预测指标（曲线下面积，0.85；95% CI 0.74 - 0.96；P < 0.001），较低的截断值为18.5毫米，敏感性和特异性分别为0.52和0.82。
没有X射线或计算机断层扫描研究来支持牙齿和/或根尖疾病的诊断。
测量羊驼的下颌厚度有助于早期发现需要专门口腔护理的动物。大多数下颌厚度增加的动物患有晚期牙齿疾病。然而，常规的口腔检查对于早期发现羊驼的牙齿疾病仍然是必要的。
