VTNE VTNE Dentistry and Oral Health 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the most common dental disease diagnosed in dogs and cats seen in veterinary practice?
- Tooth resorption
- Periodontal disease (Correct answer)
- Stomatitis
- Malocclusion
Correct answer: Periodontal disease
Periodontal disease is the most common dental condition in companion animals, affecting the majority of dogs and cats over age three.
Question 2: Which dental instrument is primarily used to remove supragingival calculus from tooth surfaces?
- Periodontal probe
- Dental scaler (Correct answer)
- Dental elevator
- Curette
Correct answer: Dental scaler
A dental scaler (such as a sickle scaler) is designed to remove calculus deposits above the gumline on tooth surfaces.
Question 3: What is the carnassial tooth in the dog, and what is its function?
- The upper third premolar; used for shearing meat
- The lower first molar; used for grinding
- The upper fourth premolar; used for shearing meat (Correct answer)
- The lower third premolar; used for tearing
Correct answer: The upper fourth premolar; used for shearing meat
The upper fourth premolar (108/208) is the carnassial tooth in dogs, designed to shear meat with a scissor-like action.
Question 4: How many permanent teeth does an adult dog normally have?
- 28
- 30
- 42 (Correct answer)
- 38
Correct answer: 42
Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth: 12 incisors, 4 canines, 16 premolars, and 10 molars.
Question 5: What is the term for the feline condition involving progressive destruction of tooth structure at or below the gumline?
- Feline stomatitis
- Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL) (Correct answer)
- Feline periodontitis
- Feline enamel hypoplasia
Correct answer: Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL)
Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORLs), also called tooth resorption, are characterized by progressive destruction of tooth structure caused by odontoclast activity.
Question 6: When assessing periodontal disease staging in veterinary patients, which factor is most critical to evaluate?
- Crown color
- Periodontal pocket depth and attachment loss (Correct answer)
- Tooth shape
- Enamel thickness
Correct answer: Periodontal pocket depth and attachment loss
Periodontal pocket depth and the degree of attachment loss are the primary criteria used to stage periodontal disease severity (PD1–PD4).
VTNE VTNE Dentistry and Oral Health 1
What is the most common dental disease diagnosed in dogs and cats seen in veterinary practice?