Oral-Fluid Thiol-Detection Test Identifies Underlying Active Periodontal Disease Not Detected by the Visual Awake Examination.

Periodontal disease in dogs is highly prevalent but can only be accurately diagnosed by performing an anesthetized oral examination with periodontal probing and dental radiography. In this study, 114 dogs had a visual awake examination of the oral cavity and were administered an oral-fluid thiol-detection test prior to undergoing a a full-mouth anesthetized oral examination and digital dental radiographs. The results show the visual awake examination underestimated the presence and severity of active periodontal disease.

Pilot evaluation of a novel test strip for the assessment of dissolved thiol levels, as an indicator of canine gingival health and periodontal status.

This study evaluated a novel test strip designed to assess thiol levels as they relate to gingival/periodontal health in dogs. The simple to use strip (similar in form to a pH test strip) provides a colorimetric signal which estimates the level of thiols dissolved in oral fluid. Among several oral sites tested (left and right lingual vestibules, lower buccal vestibule, and upper buccal gingival margin), fluid from the maxillary gingival margin gave results with the best dynamic range, and its thiol levels correlated well with several oral health parameters (Pearson coefficients between 0.