Comparison of dorsal and buccal approaches for surgical extraction of the mandibular canine tooth in cat specimens using radiographic and computed tomographic analysis

The purpose of this study was to compare the buccal and dorsal approaches for surgical extraction of mandibular canine teeth in the cat. Parameters evaluated included extraction time, surgical wound closure time, volume of bone loss, and incidence of complications. Both mandibular canine teeth were extracted from each of 12 feline cadaver specimens, using a different surgical approach for each side, and recording the time for extraction and closure. Computed tomography was used to measure the volume of each rostral mandible before and after extraction, and the bone loss for each approach was computed. The mean extraction time and volume of bone loss was less for the buccal approach, but the results were not statistically significant (P=0.22 and P=0.32, respectively). The closure time for the dorsal approach was significantly less than for the buccal approach (P=0.023). Total time (extraction plus closure time) was not significantly different between the approaches (P=0.40). There were no complications associated with either approach.