Elsevier

Research in Veterinary Science

Volume 107, August 2016, Pages 213-219
Research in Veterinary Science

Oral health correlates of captivity

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2016.06.009Get rights and content

Highlights

  • We examined captive and wild lion and tiger skulls for oral health correlates.

  • Calculus and periodontal disease were both more prevalent in captive specimens.

  • Positive correlation was found between oral health and cranial morphology.

  • Direct relationship was found between captivity status and oral health.

Abstract

The predominant diet fed to captive carnivores in North America consists of ground meat formulated to provide full nutritional requirements. However, this ground meat diet completely lacks the mechanical properties (i.e., toughness and hardness) of the foods these animals would consume in the wild. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of captivity on oral health by comparing the prevalence of periodontal disease and dental calculus accumulation in wild and captive lions and tigers (Panthera leo and Panthera tigris), and to also correlate oral health with cranial morphology in these specimens. To achieve this, 34 adult lion and 29 adult tiger skulls were scored for the presence and extent of dental calculus and periodontal disease. These oral health scores were also compared to cranial deformations examined in a previous study. We found that the occurrence and severity of calculus buildup and periodontal disease was significantly higher in captive felids compared to their wild counterparts. Further, higher calculus accumulation occurred on the posterior teeth when compared to the anterior teeth, while an opposite trend for periodontal disease was observed. We also found a significant correlation between oral health and cranial morphology of lions and tigers. The results suggest that food mechanical properties are significant factors contributing to oral health in felids.

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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