Introduction

• Oral cavity must be thoroughly examined in all rabbits as dental disease is very common.
• Must form part of the initial clinical examination in any rabbit with dysphagia, hypersalivation, facial swelling, anorexia Anorexia or progressive weight loss Weight loss.
• Dental disease is not always associated with clinical signs, particularly in the early stages.
• Early detection of dental disease is essential if treatment is to be successful.

Uses

• Provides a diagnosis of dental disease which enables appropriate action to be taken.
• Allows assessment of:
  • Length, shape, color, markings, eg horizontal ribbing, occlusion, texture of incisors.
  • Length and shape of cheek teeth.
  • Soft tissue damage to tongue and cheeks from cheek teeth, or lips and nose from incisors.
  • Presence of purulent materials or blood (discolored saliva indicates soft tissue damage, foreign body or abscess).

Advantages

• Early detection of dental disease allows successful treatment.

Disadvantages

• Requires general anesthesia for a thorough examination.
• The oral commissure is small and the oral cavity long and curved.
• Cheek folds make visualization of the cheek teeth difficult.

Requirements

Preparation

Procedure

Aftercare

Outcomes

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Sayers I (2010) Approach to preventive health care and welfare in rabbits. In Pract 32 (5), 190-198 VetMedResource.
• Harcourt-Brown F (2009) Dental disease in pet rabbits. 1. Normal dentition, pathogenesis and aetiology. In Pract 31 (8), 370-379 VetMedResource.
• Harcourt-Brown F (2009) Dental disease in pet rabbits. 2. Diagnosis and treatment. In Pract 31 (9), 442-445 VetMedResource.
• Jekl V, Hauptman K & Knotek Z (2008) Quantitative and qualitative assessments of intraoral lesions in 180 small herbivorous mammals. Vet Rec 162 (14), 442-449 PubMed.
• Meredith A (2007) Rabbit dentistry. European J Companion Anim Pract 17 (1), 55-62 MediRabbit.
• Davies R R & Lawton M P (2001) Burring cheek teeth in rabbits. Vet Rec 148 (22), 700 PubMed.
• Gorrel C (1997) Humane dentistry. JSAP 38 (1), 31 PubMed.
• Harcourt-Brown F (1997) Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of dental disease in pet rabbits. In Pract 19 (8), 407-421 VetMedResource.
• Gorrel C (1996) Teeth trimming in rabbits and rodents. Vet Rec 139 (21), 528 PubMed.
• Harcourt-Brown F M (1996) Calcium deficiency, diet and dental disease in pet rabbits. Vet Rec 139 (23), 567-571 PubMed.
• Crossley D A (1995) Clinical aspects of lagomorph dental anatomy - the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Vet Dent 12 (4), 137-40 PubMed.
• Harcourt-Brown F M (1995) A review of clinical conditions in pet rabbits associated with their teeth. Vet Rec 137 (14), 341-346 PubMed.

Other sources of information

• Saunders R (2015) Rabbit Dentistry. BSAVA Congress, Birmingham.
• Varga M (2014) Dental Disease. In: Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. 2nd edn. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. pp 203-248.
• Jekl V (2013) The Dental Examination. In: Manual of Rabbit Surgery, Dentistry and Imaging. Eds: Harcourt-Brown F & Chitty J. BSAVA. pp 337-348.
• Jekl V (2012) Rabbit Dentistry: Assisting with Treatment and Providing Advice to Owners. WSAVA/FECAVA/BSAVA World Congress, Birmingham.
• Milella L (2010) Rabbit Dentistry. London Vet Show, London.