Equine dental disease. Part 3: A long-term study of 400 cases: disorders of wear, traumatic damage and idiopathic fractures, tumours and miscellaneous disorders of the cheek teeth.

This study focused on 400 horses referred due to dental issues, out of which 349 cases were diagnosed with primary problems in their cheek teeth. Different types of disorders were observed including abnormal wear, traumatic damage, idiopathic fractures, and other miscellaneous disorders such as oral tumors. The long-term response to the treatment was generally good, even when there were residual secondary periodontal diseases.

Introduction

This study is centered around the dental health of horses. 400 equines were taken in for analysis due to suspected dental disorders. Subsequently, 349 of these cases were identified as having primary disorders affecting their cheek teeth, which are the large teeth located in the back of the horse’s mouth, responsible for grinding food.

Methods and Findings

• Case Studies: A total of 104 cases are delved into in detail in the paper. Among these, 44 cases were of horses suffering from Wear disorders, 26 cases of Traumatic damage, 24 cases of Idiopathic fractures, and 10 cases of Miscelleneous disorders which also included Oral Tumors
• Wear Disorders: These disorders are mostly related to the abnormal rate of tooth wear. Horses have teeth that continually grow throughout their lives, and regular grazing helps in naturally maintaining the tooth length. Any deviation from the natural wearing process results in disorders that may impact chewing and grinding of food.
• Traumatic Damage: Traumatic damage mainly refers to injuries caused by external forces. Injuries can result in broken teeth, lacerations to the tongue, cheeks or gums and may cause severe pain to the horse.
• Idiopathic Fractures: These are fractures where the cause cannot be readily identified. They could happen due to internal structural deficiencies or unseen impacts, and are often noticed only when they start causing symptoms like difficulty in eating or pain.
• Miscellaneous Turmors: Miscellaneous disorders encapsulate any other type of dental issue that does not fall into the above categories. This can include oral tumors and other rarer instances of dental pathologies.

Conclusion

• The study concludes on a positive note, saying that most horses had an excellent long-term response to treatment. This included those who had secondary issues, such as residual periodontal diseases, which involve infections of structures around the teeth, like gums and alveolar bones.