Computed Tomographic Study in 73 Pet Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus): Evaluation of the Correlation Between Dental and Thoracic Pathology

Abstract

Background: Dental and respiratory diseases are common in companion rabbits. While upper respiratory tract disorders have been described in association with dental pathology, the possible correlation between dental disease and pulmonary lesions has not yet been investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on client-owned rabbits presented for suspected dental disease that underwent head and thoracic computed tomography (2012–2025) at a veterinary teaching hospital. Seventy-three rabbits met the inclusion criteria (mean age 4.96 years). Results: Dental involvement was present in 81% (59/73) of the rabbits and pulmonary lesions in 29% (21/73). Among rabbits with dental disease, frequent osseous findings included osteomyelitis (49%), inflammatory resorption (42%), and maxillary deformities (33%). Pulmonary abnormalities occurred in 32% of rabbits with dental disease compared to 14% of those without. In Poisson models with log link adjusted for age and sex, dental disease was not significantly associated with pulmonary lesions (prevalence ratio [PR] 2.14; 95% CI 0.55–8.38; p = 0.275). Sensitivity analyses using 1:1 matching with cluster-robust variance (PR 3.24; 95% CI 0.65–16.1; p = 0.152) and overlap-weighted doubly robust estimation (PR 2.08; 95% CI 0.42–10.4; p = 0.371) yielded directionally positive but imprecise results. Conclusions: Computed tomography proved valuable for the evaluation of thoracic comorbidities in rabbits with dental disease. Although dental and pulmonary abnormalities were often observed together, a statistically significant association was not established. Larger, prospective studies are warranted to further clarify this relationship.