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. 2014 Dec;15(4):557-61.
doi: 10.4142/jvs.2014.15.4.557. Epub 2014 Jul 11.

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

Kyoungsun Park  1 , Jaesang Ahn, Sunmee Kang, Euiri Lee, Soohyun Kim, Sangwan Park, Sungwon Park, Hyunwoo Noh, Kangmoon Seo
Affiliations

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

Kyoungsun Park et al. J Vet Sci. 2014 Dec.

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 cemento- enamel 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 (γ(2) = 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.

Keywords: age determination; age estimation; cats; dental radiograph; pulp cavity.

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Conflict of interest statement

There is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Occlusal view of the maxillary canine teeth in the cat. BSA: bisecting angle.
Fig. 2
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.
Fig. 3
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.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Plot showing the relationship between chronological age and pulp cavity/tooth width ratio (P/T ratio).
Fig. 5
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).
Fig. 6
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).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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