Transcutaneous Lateral Alveolar Ostectomy for Standing Surgical Extraction of Mandibular First Molar in an 8-Year-Old Miniature Horse.

The research is about a successful instance of transcutaneous lateral alveolar ostectomy performed on an 8-year-old miniature horse to extract its first molar, a procedure opted for due to failure of oral extraction.

Background

• An eight-year-old female miniature horse weighing 125 kg was brought in for examination due to a persistently thickened left mandible and cutaneous fistula. The horse was also found to have dental problems.
• It was noted that pulp horn defects were present in pulp horns 1 and 3 of tooth 309. Furthermore, using a dental explorer, occlusal pulp exposure was also detected.
• An x-ray of the left mandibular dental quadrant of the horse reflected changes which pointed towards the apical infection of tooth 309.

Procedure Undertaken

• Initial attempts to extract the tooth orally failed. Consequently, a standing surgical method named transcutaneous lateral alveolar ostectomy was employed for the extraction process.
• During this procedure, the roots of the affected tooth were sectioned at the level of furcation (the point where the root of the tooth splits).
• The sectioned roots were then elevated from the surgical site. Following that, the horse’s remaining reserve crown was unsettled and dislodged into the oral cavity.

Outcome

• Post-surgery, the healing of the surgical site and alveolus (the dental socket in the bone where the tooth used to reside) occurred without complications. This suggests that the procedure was successful and the miniature horse’s condition had improved.