A large case-control study indicates a breed-specific predisposition to feline tooth resorption

Tooth resorption (TR) is one of the most common dental diseases of cats. It is a painful condition leading to tooth loss. The etiology of TR remains unclear, but old age, breed, other oral and dental diseases, and environmental factors are suspected predisposing factors. In our study, we used part of the data from the extensive feline health online survey of 8115 Finnish cats. As TR is difficult to detect and as the feline health survey included diagnoses defined by both veterinarians and the owners, we limited our study to a subpopulation of cats diagnosed with oral or dental disease by a veterinarian and had dental examination or surgery under sedation (n=944). We utilized case-control study analysed by multivariable logistic regression to determine the risk factors and breed variation of feline TR. The 202 cats diagnosed with TR were defined as TR cases and the remaining 742 cats as controls. The frequency of veterinarian-diagnosed TR was 3.9% in the health survey data (316/8115) and 21% in the subpopulation (202/944). The risk of TR increased with age (14.7% in youngest and 25.3% in oldest age group). Our finding that TR was significantly associated with gingivitis or periodontitis in cats that had also calculus (OR: 2.49 and 3.70, respectively) suggests that inflammatory changes caused by calculus increase the risk of TR. We found that Cornish Rex, European, and Ragdoll are at higher risk for TR (OR: 2.44, 2.98 and 2.90, respectively). Exotic-Persians breed group had lower risk (OR: 0.28). TR was not observed in Turkish van or Devon Rex. The differences between breeds highlight a genetic contribution. In addition, female cats that had food available constantly had significantly less TR than female cats that had feeding times (OR: 0.44). The underlying reasons for this remain unexplained in our study.