《口腔的检查》

Oral/Dental Examination

The examination starts with a thorough history, including symptoms which may indicate dental disorders such as: halitosis, change in eating habits, ptyalism, and head shaking. The clinical investigation begins with the inspection of the head by evaluating the eyes, symmetry of the head, swellings, lymph nodes, nose and lips. Next, the occlusion and the functionality of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) should be eval– uated. The dental examination includes noting the stage of dentition (primary/permanent), as well as any missing, fractured, or discoloured teeth. The examination of the soft tissues of the oral cavity includes oral mucosa, gingiva, palate, dorsal and ventral aspect of the tongue, tonsils, salivary glands and ducts. The examiner should evaluate the oral soft tissues for masses, swelling, ulcerations, bleeding and inflamma– tion. The conscious periodontal examination should focus on gingival inflammation, calculus deposits and gingival recession. Furthermore, a periodontal diagnostic test strip for measurement of dissolved thiol levels can be a very useful examination room indicator for gingival health and periodontal status (Manfra et al., 2012). This product has been shown to improve client compliance with dental recommendations.

Oral Health Index (OHI)

The first step in every case is the collection of a minimum clinical database. The Oral Health Index (OHI) (Gawor et al., 2006) is a useful tool created from a basic examination on a conscious patient and gives a good overall clinical impression. The examination includes not only the oral cavity and adjacent regions, but also life style and nutrition. The examined criteria are: lymph nodes, dental deposits, periodontal status, nutrition and oral care (professional and homecare). Each criterion is scored with respect to the clinical findings and a total score is then determined. The result helps in decision making and determining whether further examination and/ or treatment is indicated (Table 7).

Occlusion

According to the nomenclature committee of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC Nomenclature Committee 2019), the ideal occlusion is described as “...perfect interdigitation of the maxillary and mandibular teeth. In the dog, the ideal tooth positions in the arches are defined by the occlusal, inter–arch, and interdental relationships of the teeth of the archetypal dog (i.e. wolf)” (Full information can be found here: www.avdc.org/nomenclature). Abnormalities are defined as either a skeletal malocclusion or malposi– tion of single (See section on malocclusions).