A review of equine dental disorders.

The research article is a comprehensive review of various dental disorders in horses, highlighting the importance of equine dentistry for understanding, diagnosing, and treating these conditions.

Scope of Equine Dentistry and Common Incisor Disorders

• This study stresses the importance of equine dentistry which has been relatively overlooked in equine practice despite many horses suffering from unidentified painful dental conditions.
• It suggests that any dental procedure in horses should be preceded by a thorough clinical examination using a full mouth speculum.
• Common incisor disorder includes prolonged retention of deciduous incisors, supernumerary incisors, and overjet conditions. Overjet, often accompanied by irregular growth of cheek teeth (CT), can be corrected surgically, but not recommended in breeding animals.
• In younger horses, a traumatically fractured incisor with pulpar exposure could heal by forming tertiary dentine. Conversely, loss or maleruption of incisors can create uneven wear affecting mastication.
• Idiopathic fractures and apical infection of incisors are quite rare, according to the study.

Canine Tooth Disorders and Problems with “Wolf Teeth”

• The primary issue with canine teeth in horses is the development of dental calculus particularly on the lower canines. Furthermore, there can also be developmental displacements and traumatic fractures.
• The paper also recounts the reasons to remove so-called “wolf teeth”. These include misplacement, enlargement, or the presence of these teeth in the mandible.

Cheek Teeth (CT) Abnormalities and Associated Disorders

• The study observes various developmental abnormalities in CT such as rostral positioning, displaced CT leading to overgrowth and periodontal diseases due to abnormal gaps (diastemata) between the teeth.
• Inadequate compression or excessive developmental spacing of CT, resulting in diastemata, is identified as a common yet underdiagnosed issue leading to painful periodontal disease and quidding.
• Further, supernumerary CT occurring at the caudal aspect of the CT rows commonly instigates periodontal disease around these teeth.

Eruption Disorders, Apical Infections, and Treatment

• Eruption disorders outlined by the study include prolonged retention of remnants of deciduous CT, known as “caps”, and vertical impaction of erupting CT potentially resulting in large eruption cysts and possibly leading to apical infections.
• The main dental disorder involves disorders of wear, primarily enamel overgrowths, which are largely due to dietary changes linked to domestication.
• Left untreated, such disorders can intensify leading to severe CT disorders like shearmouth and widespread periodontal disease. More focal dental overgrowths develop opposite any CT not being in full opposition, for example following maleruption of or loss of a CT.
• Due to the significant length of reserve crown in young (hypsodont) CT, apical infections can cause infections of the supporting bones and depending on the CT involved, result in facial swellings, fistulae, and possible sinusitis.
• While diagnosing apical infection requires techniques such as radiography, scintigraphy, and other advanced imaging, the study suggests that oral extraction of affected CT should be performed when possible, to minimize costs, risks, and post-extraction complications relative to CT repulsion or buccotomy.