Radiological prevalence of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis.
Abstract: Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a painful and progressive dental disease that mainly affects the incisors and canine teeth of aged horses. Diagnosis is based on radiographs to detect early stages of the disease. EOTRH is probably underdiagnosed and its prevalence in Germany unknown. Objective: This study was performed to determine the radiological prevalence of EOTRH in a large horse population in Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany. Methods: Prevalence study. Methods: The study population (142 horses) consisted of all horses 10 years and older that were presented at the Equine Hospital for a routine dental examination. The horses were either presented as clinical cases (CC population) or belonged to a riding school (RS population). Digital radiographs of the incisor dentition were taken and evaluated for changes related to EOTRH, leading to an overall classification for each horse. Results: The mean age of the study population was 21 years and ranged from 10 to 37 years. Overall, 94% of all horses had at least minor and 62% had moderate to severe radiological changes of the incisor teeth associated to EOTRH. No horse older than 14 years was without radiological signs of EOTRH and all horses over 28 years of age had at least moderate radiological changes of the incisor teeth. Conclusions: The clinical cases group might have a bias towards horses with existing dental problems such as EOTRH, because they were presented explicitly for dental care to a clinic. Conclusions: Focusing on radiological changes, this study shows that EOTRH is a common condition of horses in Berlin-Brandenburg. With older age, disease is more frequent and radiological changes become more severe. Since no horse older than 14 years was without radiological findings, it is likely that mild changes may be associated with the normal tooth ageing process.
© 2017 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2017-11-27 PubMed ID: 29067719DOI: 10.1111/evj.12776Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates the prevalence of a progressive dental disease in horses, known as EOTRH, in Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany, using radiographs to diagnose and determine the extent of the condition in the study subjects.
Objective of the Research
The main aim of the research was to ascertain the radiological prevalence of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) in a large horse population in the Berlin-Brandenburg region of Germany. The motivation partly stemmed from the lack of existing data on the frequency of this disease in this specific region.
Methods Employed in the Research
- The research involved a study population consisting of 142 horses. It encompassed all horses aged 10 years and above that were brought to the Equine Hospital for routine dental checkups.
- The horses were categorized into two groups: the clinical cases (CC) population, which were those presented as having clinical conditions, and the riding school (RS) population.
- Digital radiographs of the incisor dentition of each horse were taken. These images were then assessed for any changes attributed to EOTRH, which helped determine an overall classification for each horse.
Results of the Research
- The age of the horses in the study population varied between 10 and 37 years, with the mean age being 21 years.
- The study found that 94% of all horses displayed at least minor radiological changes linked to EOTRH, while 62% exhibited moderate to severe changes.
- No horse older than 14 years was completely free from radiological indications of EOTRH.
- All horses aged over 28 years presented at least moderate radiological changes in the incisor teeth.
Conclusions from the Research
- The research acknowledges that the clinical cases group could potentially have a bias towards those horses that already had dental problems like EOTRH as they were explicitly taken to a clinic for dental treatment.
- When concentrating on radiological changes, the study revealed that EOTRH is a prevalent condition among horses in the Berlin-Brandenburg area. The frequency and severity of the disease increase with the age of the horse.
- As no horse older than 14 years was without radiological findings, the research suggests that mild changes could be associated with the normal tooth ageing process.
Cite This Article
APA
Rehrl S, Schröder W, Müller C, Staszyk C, Lischer C.
(2017).
Radiological prevalence of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis.
Equine Vet J, 50(4), 481-487.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12776 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Clinic: Surgery and Radiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Tierärztliche Klinik für Pferde und Kleintiere Isernhagen, Isernhagen, Germany.
- Equine Clinic: Surgery and Radiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
- Equine Clinic: Surgery and Radiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Female
- Germany / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Hypercementosis / diagnostic imaging
- Hypercementosis / epidemiology
- Hypercementosis / veterinary
- Male
- Tooth Resorption / diagnostic imaging
- Tooth Resorption / epidemiology
- Tooth Resorption / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 15 times.- Górski K, Borowska M, Turek B, Pawlikowski M, Jankowski K, Bereznowski A, Polkowska I, Domino M. An application of the density standard and scaled-pixel-counting protocol to assess the radiodensity of equine incisor teeth affected by resorption and hypercementosis: preliminary advancement in dental radiography. BMC Vet Res 2023 Aug 9;19(1):116.
- Wright AL, Earley ET, Austin C, Arora M. Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH): microspatial distribution of trace elements in hypercementosis-affected and unaffected hard dental tissues. Sci Rep 2023 Mar 28;13(1):5048.
- Górski K, Borowska M, Stefanik E, Polkowska I, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Domino M. Application of Two-Dimensional Entropy Measures to Detect the Radiographic Signs of Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis in an Equine Model. Biomedicines 2022 Nov 13;10(11).
- 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).
- Proost K, Staszyk C, Boone MN, Vogelsberg J, Josipovic I, Vlaminck L, Chiers K. A histological description of alpaca (Vicugna pacos) cheek teeth: Findings and anatomical variations in macroscopically normal molars. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:972973.
- Bishop IT. Diagnostic value of full-mouth radiography in horses. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:971886.
- Albers L, Bienert-Zeit A, Staszyk C. Equine Incisor Lesions: Histologic Confirmation of Radiographic, Macroscopic, and Micro-Computed Tomographic Findings. Vet Sci 2022 Jul 11;9(7).
- Górski K, Borowska M, Stefanik E, Polkowska I, Turek B, Bereznowski A, Domino M. Selection of Filtering and Image Texture Analysis in the Radiographic Images Processing of Horses' Incisor Teeth Affected by the EOTRH Syndrome. Sensors (Basel) 2022 Apr 11;22(8).
- Rahmani V, Häyrinen L, Kareinen I, Ruohoniemi M. History, clinical findings and outcome of horses with radiographical signs of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis. Vet Rec 2019 Dec 14;185(23):730.
- Connolly KM, Estell K. Dysphagia in an equine referral hospital, 182 cases. Equine Vet J 2026 Jan;58(1):134-142.
- Nugent Z, Jensen A, Owen N, Peffers AJ, Moothanchery M, Peffers MJ. Characterisation of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis: A comparative study using microCT and radiography in age-matched controls. Equine Vet J 2025 Jul;57(4):1099-1109.
- Jensen A, Clarke EJ, Nugent Z, Paice E, Gringel I, Yamamoto K, Rocchigiani G, Peffers AJ, Cooper L, Peffers MJ. Inflammation and response to bacterial infection as potential drivers of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis: A proteomics insight. Equine Vet J 2025 Jul;57(4):977-990.
- Sidwell AE, Duz M, Hill B, Freeman S, Hole SL. Application of the horse grimace scale in horses with dental disease: Preliminary findings. Vet Rec 2025 Feb 1;196(3):e4800.
- Borowska M, Jasiński T, Gierasimiuk S, Pauk J, Turek B, Górski K, Domino M. Three-Dimensional Segmentation Assisted with Clustering Analysis for Surface and Volume Measurements of Equine Incisor in Multidetector Computed Tomography Data Sets. Sensors (Basel) 2023 Nov 2;23(21).
- Górski K, Stefanik E, Bereznowski A, Polkowska I, Turek B. Application of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as a Healing Aid after Extraction of Incisors in the Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis Syndrome. Vet Sci 2022 Jan 15;9(1).
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