Bob, marvelous controls and checks of measurement consistency!  How do
the ages of the domestic vs.  feral populations differ?  (I'm sure that
info will be in the final work because it is one of those "oh so common"
types of questions.) Are there margins of error numbers on estimates of
age (domestic and feral, and how they may differ in this regard)?
 
Were zoological park polecats and ferrets on same diet an from same
location (if available) compared for some baselines from that
perspective?)
 
I'm curious about the plague mechanism (salivary mineral content?  waste
product residue from bacterial growth in absence of enough salivation?
other?) for those with gastric tubes and how it differs from the typical
plaques seen.  Also, not having had any with gastric tubes is the seal
tight enough or can reflux occur at times with those and if so how much?
(How variable?)
 
Once it is published plaque amounts could be used to argue against the
"feral" claims such as those which CA F&G has made about some escaped
domestics found.  "Show the teeth." could become a common refrain with
valuable results to the ferret community.
 
I've often wondered if the carapaces of some insects such as mealworm
larvae may be useful for dental polishing.  Has that been looked at?
How do they fare?  Too pliable?
 
We've seen improvement with tough gelatin chews but the amount has varied
greatly (no exaggeration in saying "greatly") among individuals, from
almost no plaque remaining to almost no difference.  (Right now we dare
not have them due to a boy with IBD liking them too greatly and not
coping well with them.)
 
How much do the hardness and brittleness of plaque vary among
individuals?  We have noticed that some individuals seem to form more
brittle plaque which is much more easily dislodged, and that ferret
plaque seems more brittle to us than out own when we've had it.  Is the
plaque of animals relying on mechanical approaches (I LIKE the hypothesis
of mechanism!) typically more brittle than in species which use a more
chemical approach?  If so, I could see that as a supportive argument for
your hypothesis, though its absence would not be a negation for obvious
reasons.
 
Do cingulae which may contribute to building plaque and the difficulty
removing plaque differ between the ferals and domestics?  Ditto deep
enough tooth scratches/breaks?  Is ferret enamel more vulnerable to
such damage, or is the kibble diet more likely to create them?
 
Some questions likely can't be answered now.  That's understood.  Not a
problem.  Hoping I haven't posed questions you want to avoid having aired
yet.  Just asking in case...
[Posted in FML issue 4518]