The Cat Mandible (I): Anatomical Basis to Avoid Iatrogenic Damage in Veterinary Clinical Practice

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Nowadays, cats are one of the most common companion animals. They differ from dogs in some important aspects. However, most of the veterinary clinics are oriented towards the care and treatment of dogs, where the cat patient is clinically treated like a small dog. The cat mandible and related structures have some particularities that should be taken into account, when treating a cat, to avoid any unintended medical (iatrogenic) damage. The feline mandible has fewer teeth than a dog’s one, but tooth roots and the neurovascular supply account for up 70% of the volume of the mandibular body. This fact makes mandibular fracture repair challenging. In addition, the cat mandible has a prominent angular process that, when the cat is under anesthesia and his mouth is wide open (during oral or transoral manipulation), compresses the maxillary artery (that supplies blood to the brain) inducing temporal or permanent blindness and/or deafness. Other particularities of the cat jaw are also addressed to get a comprehensive knowledge of its functional anatomy, essential to an effective feline clinical practice. ABSTRACT: Cats are one of our favourite pets in the home. They differ considerably from dogs but are usually treated clinically as small dogs, despite some anatomical and physiological dissimilarities. Their mandible is small and has some peculiarities relative to the dentition (only three incisors, a prominent canine, two premolars and one molar); a conical and horizontally oriented condyle, and a protudent angular process in its ventrocaudal part. Most of the body of the mandible is occupied by the mandibular dental roots and the mandibular canal that protects the neurovascular supply: the inferior alveolar artery and vein, and the inferior alveolar nerve that exits the mandible rostrally as the mental nerves. They irrigate and innervate all the teeth and associated structures such as the lips and gingiva. Tooth roots and the mandibular canal account for up to 70% of the volume of the mandibular body. Consequently, when fractured it is difficult to repair without invading the dental roots or vascular structures. Gaining a comprehensive anatomical knowledge and good clinical practice (such as image diagnosis before and post-surgery) will help in the awareness and avoidance of iatrogenic complications in day-to-day feline clinical practice.