Vetnews | November 2024 40 « BACK TO CONTENTS Regulars I Dental Column During the clinical evaluation of teeth, there are several factors we need to keep in mind when we decide to extract a tooth or save it. One of these criteria is the presence and severity of a furcation involvement (defect). We often get asked what exactly this is and how we go about quantifying this lesion. Let’s therefore explore this. Furcation area The furcation or furcation area of a tooth is only present on multirooted teeth and is the area where two roots join the crown. This furcation area, in a healthy tooth, is filled in with alveolar bone (Fig. 1). Radiographically the furcation area is also visible as well as the bone filling it (Fig. 2). During a clinical examination of a healthy tooth, this area is usually not visible as the gingiva attaches just proximal to it on the crown of the tooth. When all of this is in place, the furcation area of that particular tooth is normal and does not need to be recorded. Furcation Involvement The furcation area usually gets affected due to periodontitis in a patient. This infection not only affects the gingiva, but attachment loss (gingiva and bone) is present and therefore this is a clinical sign of periodontitis. According to the American Veterinary Dental College, there are 3 Stages of Furcation Involvement: https://avdc.org/avdc-nomenclature/ Stage 1 (F1): Furcation 1 involvement exists when a periodontal probe extends less than halfway under the crown in any direction of a multirooted tooth with attachment loss. Stage 2 (F2): Furcation 2 involvement exists when a periodontal probe extends greater than halfway under the crown of a multirooted tooth with attachment loss but not through and through. Stage 3 (F3): Furcation exposure exists when a periodontal probe extends under the crown of a multirooted tooth, through and through from one side of the furcation out the other. Stages 1 and 2 can be difficult to distinguish clinically and therefore we have adapted these in our clinic to: Stage 1: The furcation area is exposed, and visible and superficial bone is lost. Stage 2: The furcation area is exposed and there is bone loss, but not a through-and-through defect as in Stage 3. Stage 3 is obvious clinically (Fig. 3) as well as radiographically (Fig. 4). What is a furcation defect? Prof. G. Steenkamp and Dr. M. van de Wetering Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic – OP Figure 3: A dog with periodontitis. See the explorer pass from buccal to lingual and present on the lingual aspect of the mandibular 4th premolar tooth Figure 1: Photograph of dog’s maxilla. The furcation areas of the 2nd to 4th premolar teeth are all filled entirely with alveolar bone Figure 2: Radiograph of a normal furcation area of a dog’s mandibular 4th premolar and 1st molar teeth. The periodontal ligament space is present all around the root, as well as in the furcation area
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