Condition reference
DentalPeriodontal disease
Explore the linked guideline and related drug references. A matching drug entry does not establish a treatment recommendation.
WSAVA guideline
WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines
Periodontal disease is the most common small-animal condition: by 2 years of age 70% of cats and 80% of dogs are affected (recent studies closer to 90%), yet underdiagnosed since outward signs are lacking and diagnosis requires general anaesthesia. Disease progresses from plaque biofilm (attaching within 24 h; up to 10¹² bacteria/gram; 1,000–1,500× more antibiotic- and up to 500,000× more antiseptic-resistant than planktonic bacteria) to reversible gingivitis, then irreversible periodontitis with attachment loss. Therapy is a staging-driven ladder — professional cleaning under GA (subgingival scaling the most important step), homecare, flap surgery or extraction — reinforced by systemic links (6-fold endocarditis risk at stage 3+). Subgingival sustained-release antimicrobials are not mentioned; printed agents are chlorhexidine, barrier sealants and perioperative NSAIDs.
WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines (Niemiec et al. JSAP 2020)
Key findings
- Pathophysiology (§1): plaque attaches within 24 h, calculus forms within 3 days, gingivitis begins as early as 2 weeks; gingivitis is reversible, periodontitis irreversibly loses attachment (periodontal ligament, cementum, alveolar bone).
- Prevalence: 70% of cats / 80% of dogs by two years (1980s data), recent studies closer to 90%; small/toy breeds predisposed; incidence rises with age.
- Systemic links: hepatic parenchymal inflammation/portal fibrosis; CKD risk; 6-fold higher endocarditis risk with stage 3+ periodontal disease (Glickman 2009); diabetic glycaemic-control link; CRP and creatinine fall after therapy (Rawlinson 2011).
- Pocket thresholds: pocket diagnosed at >3 mm (dog) / >0.5 mm (cat); normal sulcus 0–3 mm / 0–1 mm (feline depth printed inconsistently [verify]).
- Treatment ladder — "Plaque removal and control consists of 4 aspects depending on the level of disease" (§5): (1) professional dental cleaning (a.k.a. Oral ATP/COHAT), (2) homecare, (3) periodontal surgery, (4) extraction.
- Staging-driven escalation: furcation I → closed cleaning; II → flap surgery (or extraction); III → extraction (Figure 114); PD0–PD4 (Box 5) similarly direct therapy (see T12).
- Professional cleaning under GA: chlorhexidine lavage → supragingival scaling (ultrasonic 25,000–45,000 Hz, side of tip, ≤6–8 s/tooth) → subgingival scaling, "the most important step" → disclosure → polishing (≤3,000 RPM, ≤5 s/tooth) → sulcal lavage → probing/charting → radiographs → planning ⚠️ capture omits Step 3 and duplicates Step 8 [verify]; supragingival cleaning alone is cosmetic, not medical.
- Antibiofilm caveat: subgingival plaque drives disease; non-professional scaling significantly worsened periodontal health (Stella 2018).
- Homecare link: without daily homecare gingivitis returns to baseline within a month (see T39).
Drugs named in WSAVA’s own guideline text
As printed in WSAVA’s document, not this app’s own extracted data — see “Related drugs in this reference” below for that.
Chlorhexidine gluconate
Reduce bacterial load/aerosolization; sulcus decontamination; homecare antiplaque (poor palatability; may enhance calculus mineralization; resistance only *Pseudomonas* spp.)
Barrier dental sealants
Retard plaque/calculus re-attachment
NSAIDs (perioperative)
Post-op analgesia/anti-inflammatory; part of multimodal plan (opioid + dental block + NSAID)
Subgingival doxycycline/clindamycin sustained-release
[Not in text — verify against PDF]
Recommendations
All periodontal therapy must be performed under GA with a secured airway; non-professional scaling worsens periodontal health
Expert consensus (Dental Guidelines Committee)
Match therapy to stage/furcation: closed cleaning for early disease, flap surgery for grade II furcation/deeper pockets, extraction for grade III furcation or advanced loss
Expert consensus
Subgingival scaling is the most important step of professional cleaning; follow with polishing and sulcal lavage
Expert consensus
Radiograph all pathology (full-mouth ideal: ~40% more pathology); reschedule if anaesthesia would be unduly long
Expert consensus
Dental blocks must be part of each treatment protocol; NSAIDs post-op unless contraindicated
Expert consensus
Start daily homecare at discharge (plaque re-attaches within 24 h); judge therapy need by gingival inflammation, not calculus
Expert consensus
Antibiotics not indicated for teeth with pulp exposure; no general antibiotic protocol printed [verify against PDF]
Expert consensus
Related drugs in this reference (2)
The quoted line under each drug is its own already-extracted indication text that matched this condition — the reason it’s listed, not a paraphrase. Open a drug for its full species/route breakdown, calculator, and complete adverse-effect list.
Showing 2 of 2 linked drug records. Open a record for species, route and source details.
AMOXICILLIN CLAVULANATE
“UTI, skin/soft tissue infection, canine periodontal disease”
Source dose preview: 12.5–25 mg/kg (combined), q12h, PO (Dog)
Adverse-effect notes: GI (diarrhea common, vomiting) — ↑ with higher clavulanate proportion · Hypersensitivity reactions — Uncommon
CYCLOSPORINE
“ATOPICA for Cats is indicated for the control of feline allergic dermatitis as manifested by excoriations (including facial and neck), miliary dermatitis, eosin…”
Source dose preview: 5 mg/kg (range 2.5–7 mg/kg), q24h x 30 days, then taper to EOD/2x-week, PO, ≥1h before or 2h after meal (Dog)
Adverse-effect notes: Vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea — Most common, especially early in therapy · Gingival hyperplasia, hypertrichosis, papillomatosis — With chronic use
From §1, §3 (analgesia cross-ref), §4–§5 of the full text, cross-checked against pack summary 05. Numbers exactly as printed; Step-numbering artefact, feline sulcus discrepancy and absent subgingival antimicrobials carried as [verify]. Grading in T12; homecare in T39.