Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis

Abstract

Feline chronic gingiviostomatitis is a common, painful problem in cats, which can be frustrating to manage. It is an idiopathic condition, thought to occur when affected cats raise an inappropriate immune response against one of a range of oral antigens, some of which are a normal part of the oral environment while others are potential pathogens in their own right. As yet there is no management strategy that will reliably eliminate all signs of inflammation in every case, but with a combination of good oral hygiene, tooth extractions and adjunctive medical treatment, good improvement can be achieved for the majority of cats.