Prevalence of Tooth Resorptive Lesions in 120 Feline Dental Patients in Israel

Abstract

Tooth resorption (TR) is a common dental condition seen in domestic cats, with a reported prevalence of 29-37.5% in clinically healthy cats and 60.8-67% in cats presenting for dental problems. Radiological and medical records of 120 cats that underwent dental treatment at a private veterinary clinic in Israel between October 2015 and February 2023 were reviewed. Records in which full-mouth radiographs had been obtained were included in the study. Radiographs were screened for TR according to the AVDC classification. Teeth affected by TR were identified in 79/120 (66%) cats. The mean age of cats with TR and non-TR was 8.3 and 6.2 years, respectively. The median age of the TR and non-TR cat populations was 8 and 7 years, respectively. A correlation was found between the number of teeth affected per cat and the age in TR cats. Cats 10 years of age and older, had a TR prevalence of 83.3%. The teeth most commonly affected by TR (82.3%) were the mandibular fourth premolar teeth (308,408).