There’s a less drastic solution to feline stomatitis than total removal of the cat’s teeth.

Stomatitis is a painful inflammatory condition that causes lesions in the mouth. Removing all the teeth has long been known to provide the best chance for resolving the problem, but a study published in next month’s Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association suggests such a drastic step may not be necessary.

In a review of 14 years of medical records of cats with stomatitis, researchers found limiting extraction of teeth to areas of oral inflammation “provided substantial improvement or complete resolution of stomatitis in more than two-thirds of affected cats,” and was no less beneficial than full-mouth extraction.

Subscribers to JAVMA can view the complete study at the link below, where it can also be purchased.

Michael W. Jennings, VMD; John R. Lewis, VMD; Maria M. Soltero-Rivera, DVM; Dorothy C. Brown, DVM, MSCE; Alexander M. Reiter, Dr med vet. Effect of tooth extraction on stomatitis in cats: 95 cases (2000–2013); J Am Vet Med Assoc, March 15, 2015, Vol. 246, No. 6, Pages 654-660; doi: 10.2460/javma.246.6.654

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