tvpjournal.com | January/February 2016 | Today's VeTerinary PracTice
PracTical denTisTry Peer reviewed
85
Periodontal disease is the number one diagnosed
problem in small animal veterinary medicine.
1,2
Therefore, treatment and prevention of this
malady are the subject of signifcant research,
which has resulted in numerous new products and
procedures—in addition to current therapies—to
prevent and treat periodontal disease (Table 1).
These methods and products can be grouped
into 4 different treatment areas:
1. removal of infectious agents (pathogen control)
2. reduction of infammation and/or bone
destruction by the host (host modulation)
3. regeneration of lost alveolar bone (guided tissue
regeneration)
4. consideration of implants.
PATHOGEN CONTROL
it is well known that periodontal disease is
initiated by plaque bacteria.
3
Therefore, the basis
for periodontal therapy is, and likely always will
be, plaque control. This is best achieved by a
combination of thorough professional therapy and
home care.
Professional Therapy
on the professional side, there are several barrier
sealants available, with evidence that they decrease
periodontal disease.
4–6
The other form of professional pathogen
control should be periodontal surgery. as
discussed in Proper Diagnosis of Periodontal
Disease (January/February 2015, available at
tvpjournal.com), pockets greater than 3 mm
in dogs and 0.5 mm in cats are pathologic and
require therapy.
7-10
in dogs and cats, treat all pockets with closed
root planing and, ideally, administration of a
sustained-release antimicrobial agent into the
Updated OptiOns fOr
periOdOntal therapy
Brook A. Niemiec, DVM, FAVD, Diplomate AVDC & EVDC
Southern California Veterinary Dental Specialties & Oral Surgery, San Diego, California
Table 1.
p eriodontal treatment p roducts
treatMent CateGOry prOdUCts
pathogen Control
Barrier sealants
• OraVet (oravet.com)
• Sanos (allaccem.com)
Antiseptics
• Chlorhexidine (C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Rinse, virbacvet.com)
• Zinc ascorbate (Maxi/guard OraZn, addisonlabs.com)
Diet
• DH Dental Health (purina.com)
• OraVet Dental Hygiene Chews (merial.com)
• Other chew treats (Greenies, greenies.com)
• Royal Canin Dental (royalcanin.com)
• Rawhide chews (C.E.T. Dental Chews, virbacvet.com)
• t/d Canine and Feline (hillspet.com)
Antimicrobials
• Doxirobe (zoetisus.com)
• Clindoral (trilogicpharma.com)
host Modulation
Antioxidants
• LifeVantage Canine Health (lifevantage.com/ivs)
• Tooth to Tail (toothtotail.com)
Nutraceuticals
• 1-tetradecanol complex (petwellnessacademy.com)
Bone r egeneration • Cancellous freeze-dried demineralized bone (Periomix, vtsonline.com)
• Demineralized laminar bone sheets (Ossifex, vtsonline.com)