Dentistry
The dentistry domain tests recognition and charting of oral pathology, safe prophylaxis technique, dental radiography, and the anesthesia and analgesia that make dental work possible.
Core rules and concepts
- Permanent dog dentition is 42 teeth: incisors 3/3, canines 1/1, premolars 4/4, molars 2/3. The cat has 30: incisors 3/3, canines 1/1, premolars 3/2, molars 1/1. Deciduous counts are 28 in the dog and 26 in the cat.
- Periodontal staging uses attachment loss: stage 1 is gingivitis alone, stage 2 is under 25%, stage 3 is 25-50%, and stage 4 exceeds 50% with furcation exposure or mobility.
- Normal sulcus depth is roughly 3 mm or less in dogs and 1 mm or less in cats; probe every tooth under anesthesia and record findings.
- Take full-mouth radiographs; probing and radiographs together drive the treatment plan.
- Prophylaxis order: supragingival scaling, subgingival scaling and curettage, polish with pumice, lavage, then final charting.
- Multirooted teeth are sectioned before extraction so no root is left behind.
- Regional blocks: infraorbital for maxillary incisors and canine, maxillary for caudal upper teeth, middle mental for mandibular incisors and canine, mandibular for the lower molar region.
Worked example
A 6-year-old dachshund has a 6 mm pocket on the lower left first molar with grade II mobility and visible furcation. That is stage 4 disease, not a routine cleaning. The technician's role is to obtain radiographs, document depth, mobility and furcation on the chart, provide the local block as directed, and support extraction or periodontal therapy as the veterinarian decides.
Traps that cost marks
Polishing before subgingival debridement, which drives debris into the sulcus; charting from memory after the procedure; missing retained deciduous teeth; and using the air-water syringe into a deep pocket, which can cause subcutaneous emphysema.