Advantages and disadvantages of select animal models for studying periodontal disease development.
Animal model
Advantages
Disadvantages
Nonhuman primates
Similar dental structure, microflora, and disease to humans’. Natural or experimentally induced periodontitis.
Very expensive, with ethical and husbandry issues
Dogs
Develop natural or experimental periodontitis similar to humans
Relatively expensive, need special daily care, husbandry issues. Dentition different from humans.
Miniature pigs
Dental structure and periodontitis have some similarity to humans’. Natural or experimentally induced periodontitis.
Relatively expensive, husbandry issues; relatively few studies
Ferrets
Naturally or experimentally induced disease with similarity to humans’
Some husbandry issues
Rodents
Experimentally induced disease. Similar molar structure to humans’. Inexpensive model
Naturally resistant to periodontitis. Different microbiota from humans’. Small size and therefore amount of tissue for analysis. Large number of animals needed