Prevalence of dental disorders in an abattoir population of horses in South Africa by oral examination of intact and bisected heads.
Abstract: Dental care is an integral part of equine veterinary practice. The objectives of this cross sectional study were to describe the prevalence of dental disorders in an abattoir population of horses, and to compare oral examination of intact and bisected heads. Heads from 40 horses, 19 males and 21 females, were examined and divided into immature, adult or older horses based on dental age. Older horses had a significantly higher prevalence of infundibular caries (91.7%), diastemata (66.7%) and fractures (58.3%), whereas dental wear disorders affected all age groups. Gasterophilus spp. larvae were detected in 20% of the horses. A short oral examination performed on intact heads was adequate for diagnosing major disorders, but the occurrence of many conditions had only fair to poor agreement with the bisected heads. A more detailed oral examination may be needed for reliable diagnosis of many disorders.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2015-03-27 PubMed ID: 25979819DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.03.021Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates the frequency of dental issues in a sample group of horses in South Africa and analyzes the effectiveness of two separate examination methods. Older horses were observed to have a higher occurrence of dental issues such as cavities, gaps between teeth, and fractures.
Goal of the Study
- The study aimed to understand the commonality of dental disorders in an abattoir (slaughterhouse) population of horses, by carrying out a cross-sectional investigation, which involves studying a specific group, in this case horses, at a certain point in time to determine the prevalence of a particular characteristic, being dental disorders.
Methods
- Heads from 40 horses (19 males and 21 females) were examined in this study.
- The horses were classified into three groups: immature, adult or older horses based on dental age, which is used to estimate the age of a horse by examining its teeth.
- Two examination techniques were used: examining whole heads (intact) and examining bisected (cut in half longitudinally) heads.
Findings
- It was observed that older horses had a significantly higher occurrence of dental disorders such as cavities (infundibular caries), gaps between teeth (diastemata), and fractures. The percentage of occurrence of these conditions were 91.7%, 66.7% and 58.3% respectively.
- On the contrary, dental wear disorders were prevalent in horses of all age groups under study.
- Gasterophilus spp. larvae, a kind of horse botfly that can cause dental issues, were found in 20% of the horses.
Comparison of Oral Examination Methods
- The results showed that a quick oral examination of the intact heads was adequate in diagnosing major disorders. However, the detection of many conditions through this method had only fair to poor agreement when compared to the bisected heads.
- This implies that a more thorough and detailed oral exam might be required for a reliable diagnosis of various disorders, implying that the bisection method provides a more accurate diagnosis.
Cite This Article
APA
Vemming DC, Steenkamp G, Carstens A, Olorunju SA, Stroehle RM, Page PC.
(2015).
Prevalence of dental disorders in an abattoir population of horses in South Africa by oral examination of intact and bisected heads.
Vet J, 205(1), 110-112.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.03.021 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa. Electronic address: dcvemming@gmail.com.
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
- Medical Research Council, Soutpansberg Road, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
- Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
MeSH Terms
- Abattoirs
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Male
- Prevalence
- South Africa / epidemiology
- Tooth Diseases / epidemiology
- Tooth Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Górski K, Stefanik E, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Czopowicz M, Polkowska I, Domino M. Malocclusions and Dental Diseases in Privately Owned Horses in the Mazovia Region of Poland.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 11;12(22).
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