The trip to the dentist is one that many people fear, and maintenance of oral hygiene is practised throughout the year in order to avoid the threat of dental work having to be carried out. However, if a problem is apparent, the majority of us would consent to going under the dentist’s drill (albeit grudgingly) in order to keep our teeth as pearly white as possible – and it is here that ultrasound imaging could come in very handy.

A paper published earlier this year by Gianfranco G et al. looks at the possibility of using ultrasound to aid with the identification of ‘oral vascular anomalies’. (Color-Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of oral vascular anomalies, North American Journal of Medical Sciences, Jan 2014, 6(1):1-5). This paper describes how colour Doppler ultrasonography is an advantageous technique for both the practitioner and patient in a variety of ways - practically, the patient is not subjected to an intrusive procedure and results are both current and able to be analysed immediately, whilst this technique is also financially efficient. Using colour Doppler ultrasonography allows the practitioner to look at and identify different types of oral anomalies, providing information on both the structure in question and the associated blood vessels. Furthermore, this paper discusses how the use of a linear probe may be the most suitable for this application of ultrasonography. If you would like to carry out further reading on this topic, you can access this paper by clicking here.

As is often the case with research such as that described above, these results were taken from human studies. Consequently, we are unable to directly extrapolate these findings to our veterinary counterparts. Nevertheless, as the ultrasonography technique itself can be used with ease in a variety of different animals, it is reasonable to assume that in the future veterinary ultrasonography may also be used in a dental capacity. Whilst there are bound to be certain limitations that will arise when trying to use ultrasound to detect oral abnormalities in animals, technology is sure to consistently improve and circumvent any issues.

If you would like to discuss using ultrasonography for veterinary dental work, or just want to have a chat about veterinary ultrasound in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us by clicking here.