J Vet Sci.  2014 Dec;15(4):557-561. 10.4142/jvs.2014.15.4.557.

Determining the age of cats by pulp cavity/tooth width ratio using dental radiography

• Park K
• Ahn J
• Kang S
• Lee E
• Kim S
• Park S
• Park S
• Noh H
• Seo K

• KMID: 2070243
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2014.15.4.557

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the ratio of pulp cavity/tooth width (P/T ratio) in healthy cats. The dental radiographs of 32 cats (16 males and 16 females) were generated with a digital dental X-ray unit with the animals under general anesthesia. Standardized measurement of the canine teeth was performed by drawing a line on the radiograph perpendicular to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) of the tooth. There was an inversely proportional correlation between chronological age and the P/T ratio. Moreover, a strong Pearson squared correlation (gamma2 = 0.92) was identified by the curved regression model. No significant differences in the P/T ratio based on gender or breed were found. These results suggest that determination of age by P/T ratio could be clinically useful for estimating the chronological age of cats.

Keyword

age determination; age estimation; cats; dental radiograph; pulp cavity

MeSH Terms

Age Determination by Teeth/*veterinary
Animals
Cats/*physiology
Dental Pulp Cavity/anatomy & histology/*radiography
Female
Male
Tooth/anatomy & histology/*radiography

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Occlusal view of the maxillary canine teeth in the cat. BSA: bisecting angle.

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  Fig. 2 Pulp cavity (A) and tooth width (B). Standardized measurement of the canines was performed by drawing a line on the radiograph perpendicular to the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) of the tooth.

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  Fig. 3 Radiographic images of feline canine teeth. Marked reduction in the pulp cavity (white line)/tooth width (black line) ratio associated with increasing age. (A) 6 months old, (B) 12 months old, (C) 32 months old, and (D) 60 months old.

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  Fig. 4 Plot showing the relationship between chronological age and pulp cavity/tooth width ratio (P/T ratio).

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  Fig. 5 Comparison of mean P/T ratios between males and females. Data are presented according to age (A) and for the entire sample population (B).

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  Fig. 6 Comparison of mean P/T ratios between DSH and Persian cats. Data are presented according to age (A) and for the entire sample population (B).

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