Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar 16;194(6):e3993.
doi: 10.1002/vetr.3993. Epub 2024 Mar 4.

Dental disease in companion rabbits under UK primary veterinary care: Frequency and risk factors

Maria A Jackson  1 , Charlotte C Burn  1 , Joanna Hedley  2 , Dave C Brodbelt  1 , Dan G O'Neill  1
Affiliations

Dental disease in companion rabbits under UK primary veterinary care: Frequency and risk factors

Maria A Jackson et al. Vet Rec. .

Abstract

Background: Some prior evidence has suggested that lop-eared rabbits and those with brachycephalic skull conformations have a higher dental disease risk. This retrospective cohort study reports the frequency and conformational risk factors for primary-care veterinary diagnosis with dental disease in companion rabbits in the UK.

Methods: Anonymised VetCompass clinical records were manually reviewed to confirm dental disease cases. Risk factor analysis used multivariable binary logistic regression modelling.

Results: From 161,979 rabbits under primary veterinary care in 2019, the 1-year period prevalence of overall dental disease was 15.36% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.78-15.96). The prevalence of dental disease affecting incisors was 3.14% (95% CI: 2.87-3.44), and for cheek teeth it was 13.72% (95% CI: 13.17-14.29). Neither lop-eared conformation nor brachycephalic skull conformation was significantly associated with increased odds of dental disease. Dental disease odds increased as age increased and decreased as bodyweight increased.

Limitations: This study retrospectively accessed clinical records, so breed names may sometimes be imprecise.

Conclusion: The high overall prevalence of dental disease represents a major welfare concern for all companion rabbits, regardless of conformation. This information can be used to encourage regular routine dental assessment of rabbits of all conformations to promote earlier diagnosis, paying particular attention to older rabbits and those with low bodyweight.

Keywords: Oryctolagus cuniculus; VetCompass; epidemiology; pain; teeth.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. British Rabbit Council. Breed Standard 2021-2025 [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2023 Jun 28]. Available from: https://thebritishrabbitcouncil.org/Breed%20Standards%20Book%202021.pdf
    1. Mullan SM, Main DCJ. Survey of the husbandry, health and welfare of 102 pet rabbits. Vet Rec. 2006;159(4):103-109.
    1. Mäkitaipale J, Harcourt-Brown FM, Laitinen-Vapaavuori O. Health survey of 167 pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Finland. Vet Rec. 2015;177(16):418-418.
    1. Robinson NJ, Dean RS, Cobb M, Brennan ML. Investigating common clinical presentations in first opinion small animal consultations using direct observation. Vet Rec. 2015;176(18):463-463.
    1. Rooney NJ, Blackwell EJ, Mullan SM, Saunders R, Baker PE, Hill JM, et al. The current state of welfare, housing and husbandry of the English pet rabbit population. BMC Res Notes. 2014;7(1):942.

LinkOut - more resources