Oral health correlates of captivity
Introduction
The composition of the diet of captive carnivores is of great interest to animal curators, keepers and veterinarians. However, this interest has focused almost entirely on the nutritional composition of the diet (e.g., Whitehouse-Tedd et al., 2015) and little consideration has been given to the mechanical properties of foods such as toughness and hardness. While the incorporation of bones as dietary supplements or as enrichment is a growing trend (McPhee, 2002, Skibiel et al., 2007), the predominant diet fed to captive carnivores in North America consists of ground meat (Bechert et al., 2002, Kerr et al., 2013). While ground meat diets may contain all of the nutrients found in a natural diet, they does not simulate the ingestive or masticatory challenges that wild carnivores face (Haberstroh et al., 1984). In particular, the lack of bone and connective tissue in the captive diet may lead to dental health issues (Haberstroh et al., 1984, Lindburg, 1988). Numerous studies in domestic animals have demonstrated that mechanical attributes of the diet appear to affect dental calculus buildup and oral health in general (Antonelli et al., 2015, Logan, 2006, Vosburgh et al., 1982, Watson, 1994). However, thorough examination of the way in which the mechanical properties of foods affect oral health in large felids remains to be carried out. This study focuses on the correlation between dental health and captivity status in captive felids.
Section snippets
Experimental Studies
The mechanical properties of food have long been thought to affect the oral health of domestic dogs and cats as well as captive exotic carnivores (Fagan, 1980). Several studies have noted the correlation of soft diets with excessive calculus accumulation, gingivitis, and periodontal disease in dogs and cats (Logan, 2006, Watson, 1994) and exotic carnivores (Fagan, 1980). It is thought that a dry diet is associated with less gingival pathology because the abrasive action of dry/rough foods
Sample
We collected data on 63 adult lion (Panthera leo) and tiger (P. tigris) skulls (Table 1) from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH; New York), and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH1 Washington DC) as well as several specimens in the comparative anatomy research collection at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Specimens were identified as adults by the presence of
Effect of Captivity Status on Oral Health
The occurrence and magnitude of periodontal and calculus scores were significantly higher in captive animals compared to their wild counterparts.
To examine simply whether there was an increased presence or absence of substantial periodontal disease and calculus accumulation in captive animals, we calculated the total percentage of wild and captive specimens that have some or moderate-to-extreme (score of > 0 or > 1 respectively) calculus and periodontal disease scores. While almost none of the
Effect of Captivity on Oral Health
The goal of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of periodontal disease and the degree of calculus accumulation in wild and captive felids. Our results indicate that for felids held in North America, captivity has a strong effect on the oral health of lions and tigers. We predicted the incidence and magnitude of dental calculus and periodontal disease would be higher in captive felids, which are traditionally fed a soft diet in North America. As expected, a higher incidence of both was
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Drs. Edie Goldsmith, Chandrashekhar Patel, and two anonymous reviewers for feedback on this manuscript and to Amanda Heckler, Kristen MacNeill, Brett Donadeo, and Lucas Hartstone-Rose, for assisting in data collection. We also would like to thank the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and their staff (especially Eileen Westwig, Darrin Lunde, and John Ososky) for access to their collections.
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