Veterinary Clinical Research
Note: Clinical research does NOT involve use of experimental animals.
What does it involve?
In most cases clinical research projects involve:
- Analysis of medical records
- Determination of disease patterns
- Clinical and post-mortem examinations
- Investigation of naturally occurring disease
- Assessment of the effects of treatments
Clinical research has provided a lot of information on the
cause and effects of various diseases including dental disease.
Here is an example of a clinical study
Several years ago an investigation was undertaken into jaw width relationships in dogs. The study was performed with the help of many veterinarians from the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and the USA:
There is a condition ('base narrow lower canines') where the dog's lower canine teeth do not erupt into the correct position and end up damaging the roof of the mouth. The condition occurs quite frequently in some breeds but not others.
The research project involved assessment of canine
tooth occlusion (tooth positioning and angulation) and measuring
the widths of the upper and lower jaws of as many dogs, normal
and affected, as possible, from as many different breeds as possible.
This is the data recording chart used for the study.
In order to get accurate results a vast number of animals must be measured, so data will continue being collected over several years. It is hoped that by obtaining the cooperation of many veterinary dentists from around the world enough measurements will be obtained for the results to give an accurate picture of what is normal for most breeds and what is different in the affected animals.
Once we know what the normal is, it will be possible to develop
objective diagnostic criteria, and publish advice on prevention
and treatment methods.