Canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma (CAA) has been reported to be the most common odontogenic tumor in dogs. This retrospective study evaluated 263 dogs with histopathologically confirmed CAA. Within this data set, CAA presents most commonly in the rostral mandible in adult large breed dogs, with golden retriever dogs being overrepresented. Patients with appropriate follow-up after curative intent surgery were evaluated to assess the effect of histopathological margin on local tumor recurrence. No local recurrence was noted in any patient. This study raises questions about what the recommended surgical margin should be for treatment of CAA. It also serves as a stimulus for discussion as to whether further treatment for CAA is required when inadequate surgical margins are obtained, or if medical surveillance would be an appropriate management recommendation. Prospective studies are necessary to answer these questions.

There is no clear guideline regarding the indication for routine lymph node extirpation and pathologic evaluation during staging of canine oral tumors, despite a relatively high reported nodal metastatic rate for select tumor types. It is particularly unclear if clinicians recommend removal of lymph nodes only when there is confirmation of metastasis, defined as the N+ neck, or if elective neck dissection (END) is routinely recommended to confirm the true pathologic metastatic status of lymph nodes in the clinical N0 neck (no evidence of metastasis on clinical staging with diagnostic imaging or cytology). When clinicians are recommending END as a staging tool to confirm nodal status, there is also ambiguity regarding the surgical extent for subsequent histopathologic evaluation. The objective of this cross-sectional survey study was to determine the current recommendations given by practicing specialists regarding lymph node removal for dogs with oral tumors. Overall, 87 responses were obtained from 49 private practices (56%) and 38 academic institutions (44%). Respondents identified as oncologists (44%, N = 38), soft tissue surgeons (40%, N = 35), and dentists (16%, N = 14). Regardless of tumor type and stage, extirpation and histopathology were most commonly recommended in the clinical N+ neck only. The recommendation to routinely perform END in the N0 neck was significantly associated with tumor type. Bilateral removal of the mandibular and retropharyngeal lymph nodes was recommended more often for oral malignant melanoma (OMM) than for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC; p ≤ 0.0039) or for oral fibrosarcoma (OFSA; p ≤ 0.0007). The likelihood of recommending END increased with increasing tumor size. Academic clinicians were significantly ( p < 0.01) more likely to recommend END compared to private practitioners for canine T1–T3 OMM, T3 OSCC, T2 OFSA, and MCT. This study highlights the variability in recommendations for lymph node pathology for dogs with oral tumors. While tumor type and size influenced the decision to pursue END, it was not routinely recommended, even for tumor types with a known propensity for metastasis. Prospective studies are warranted to determine the potential diagnostic and therapeutic value of END in the N0 neck in veterinary patients such that a consensus approach can be made.

Ameloblastoma is a benign epithelial odontogenic tumor with the capacity to aggressively invade the surrounding bone. Surgical removal of the tumor can result in extended disease-free interval (cure). However, controversy surrounds the most appropriate surgical margin required to prevent local recurrence while simultaneously minimizing morbidity. En bloc excisional surgery carries the risk of major complications such as mandibular drift, hemorrhage, and oronasal fistula formation. Conservative therapy without a safety margin reduces potential morbidity but is likely to result in local recurrence. No reliable rate, nor time to recurrence, is documented but may be as high as 91% with conservative therapy. Conversely, surgery with a 10- to 20-mm margin is associated with a 0–4.6% recurrence rate. There is no documented difference in the recurrence rate with a 10- vs. 20-mm margin. The correlation of the histologic margin with the recurrence rate following excisional surgery has not determined a required histologic safety margin. Rather, no local recurrence occurs despite narrow or incomplete margins. Thus, pathologic margins &gt; 0 mm may be sufficient to prevent local recurrence or recurrence may be protracted. Accordingly, a narrow (5–10 mm) gross surgical margin may be the most appropriate. Additional research is required for confirmation, and only level 4 evidence on safety margins has been achieved thus far. Future work should focus on defining the extension of neoplastic cells past the demarcation of ameloblastoma on variable diagnostic imaging modalities as well as determining the recurrence rate with various surgical and histologic safety margins.

Biomechanical studies of the elongated canine tooth of animals are few, and thus our understanding of mechanical and physical properties of animal teeth is limited. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of force direction on fracture resistance and fracture pattern of canine teeth in an ex vivo dog cadaver model. Forty-five extracted canine teeth from laboratory beagle dogs were standardized by hard tissue volume and randomly distributed among 3 force direction groups. The teeth were secured within a universal testing machine and a load was applied at different directions based on testing group. The maximum force to fracture and the fracture pattern classification were recorded for each tooth. After correcting for hard tissue cross-sectional area in a multivariate analysis, no significant difference in the amount of force required for fracture was apparent between the different force direction groups. However, the influence of force direction on fracture pattern was significant. The results of this study may allow the clinician to educate clients on possible causal force directions in clinically fractured teeth and, thus, help prevent any contributing behavior in the future.

The reported failure rate for full veneer crowns of canine teeth of dogs is suboptimal, particularly in teeth with naturally poor retentive features, such as those with low height/diameter (H/D) ratios or high convergence angles (CAs). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the application of axial grooves in an effort to develop a crown preparation design that enhances the retention of full veneer crowns in dogs. Crown dislodgment testing was performed on cast alloy dies of canine teeth with unfavorable retention features (low H/D and high CA) prepared with (n = 14) and without axial grooves (n = 15) to evaluate the force required to dislodge a cemented full veneer crown. The crown/die units were secured within a universal testing machine and a load was applied at the 45° oblique direction from distal to mesial to replicate the vector encountered during biting-pulling action. The maximum force required to cause crown dislodgment was recorded for each crown. Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase in force required for crown dislodgment when axial grooves were included in the crown preparation design ( P < .001). Crown retention is improved in canine teeth with otherwise poor retention features when axial grooves are made in the labial and palatal/lingual walls during crown preparation.