Correlation between stages and pathomorphological signs of periodontitis in dogs

The aim of this study was to identify the morphometric features of periodontal tissues and teeth observed during visual examination and radiographic examination in dogs with various stages of periodontitis. Each patient underwent a visual examination of the oral cavity, periodontal probing, and dental radiography. Periodontitis staging in individual patients was based on an integrated assessment of diagnostic criteria including periodontal pocket depth, gingivitis index, degree of gingival recession (if present), degree of furcation exposure (if present), tooth mobility, and the degree of bone loss in the area of the diseased tooth (as a percentage of bone loss). The study showed that animals with more advanced periodontitis had greater gingival recession depth and periodontal pocket depth than those with earlier stages. However, a correlation between the degree of gingivitis and the stage of periodontitis was not observed in all cases. According to the study, the degree of bone loss was directly correlated with clinical markers of degenerative-inflammatory changes in periodontal soft tissues, such as periodontal pocket depth and gingival recession depth. It was noted that with greater recession depth, periodontal pocket depth decreases, and, therefore, this indicator cannot be fully assessed as a diagnostic criterion. The study also revealed that some animals exhibited significant vertical bone loss on radiographic examination, but had weak indicators of degenerative-inflammatory changes in soft tissues, such as gingival recession and furcation exposure. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that current clinical classifications of periodontitis cannot fully describe all cases of this disease and require expansion and clarification.