La Salle University, Bogotá, Colombia; Postgraduate specialization in veterinary dentistry, University of São Paulo, Brasil; Director, DentalVet veterinary dentistry service, Bogotá, Colombia
Estomatitis Felina
Feline stomatitis is one severe chronic inflammatory condition of the oral cavity. Affected animals appear that may have an abnormal immune response to bacterial plaque, resulting in a generalized inflammation of the oral mucosa.1
The lack of a full understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic stomatitis feline and the difficulty of achieving control of the disease in many patients, can lead often to frustration in managing the disease because the disease seems to have a multifactorial etiology, which creates the need for multifactorial treatments also.2
Multiple studies have been performed of potential etiological factors such as viruses, bacteria, immune factors, genetic and environmental.3
Regarding the most successful treatment to reduce chronic inflammation, based on the theory of an elevated immune response to bacterial plaque, the best thing is to control that plaque, which must be performed with a professional dental cleaning, followed by a constant oral hygiene at home, which can help, but it is difficult to maintain, why often chronic inflammation persists. Currently, the extraction of teeth is considered to be the most effective method in reducing or eliminating oral inflammation, because the surfaces that retain plaque are removed.1
The authors of two studies4,5 have concluded that about 60% of the cats treated with dental extractions in areas of the mouth affected by inflammation had complete resolution of their disease1.
References
1. Jennings MW, Lewis JR, Soltero-Rivera MM, Brown DC, Reiter AM. Effect of tooth extraction on stomatitis in cats: 95 cases (2000–2013). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2015;246(6):654–660.
2. Peavy GM, Wilder-Smith PE. Laser surgery. In: Verstraete FJM, Lommer MJ, eds. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Dogs and Cats. Edinburgh: Saunders;2012:79–88.
3. Lommer MJ, Verstraete FJM. Concurrent oral shedding of feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus 1 in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis. Oral Microbiol Immunol. 2003;18:131–134.
4. Bellei E, Dalla F, Masetti L, et al. Surgical therapy in chronic feline gingivostomatitis (FCGS). Vet Res Commun. 2008;32(1):S231–S234.
5. Hennet P. Chronic gingivo-stomatitis in cats: long-term follow-up of 30 cases treated by dental extractions. J Vet Dent. 1997;14:15–21.