Equine Dentition

Equine Health Management November 30, 2011

Presentation by Erin Pittman

“Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth”  Aging a horse by teeth  Diseases of the teeth  Diseases of the oral cavity

Teeth  

Incisors

– cutting teeth, closest to the front of the mouth

Canines

– common in adult males, less common and smaller in adult females    Found in the gap between the incisors and premolars

Premolars

– the three or four cheek teeth closest to front of mouth

Molars

– the three cheek teeth at the back of the mouth

Deciduous Teeth  A total of 24 “baby” or “milk” teeth in the young horse  12 incisors and 12 premolars  No canines or molars!

Permanent Teeth  Replace the deciduous teeth, where present  The deciduous tooth that precedes the permanent tooth is called a

cap

 From eruption to being in wear is ~6 months  Continue to grow, using up the reserve crown over many years  Adult stallion with wolf teeth has

42

teeth

Molars Premolars Canine

Permanent Teeth  Six cheek teeth  Premolars 2, 3, and 4   Molars 1, 2, and 3 Fourth cheek tooth is the first molar  First premolar =

wolf tooth

 May be absent or very small in adult  Incisors:  Central   Intermediate Corner

Eruption Dates 1 st incisor 2 nd incisor 3 rd incisor *Canine 1 st Premolar (wolf tooth) Deciduous 0 – 1 week 4 – 6 week 6 – 9 months Permanent 2 ½ years 3 ½ years 4 ½ years 4 – 5 years 5 – 6 months

2 nd Premolar 3 rd Premolar 4 th Premolar 1 st Molar 2 nd Molar 3 rd Molar Eruption Dates Deciduous 0 – 2 weeks 0 – 2 weeks 0 – 2 weeks Permanent 2 ½ years 3 years 4 years 9 – 12 months 2 years 3 ½ - 4 years

Aging by teeth  An imprecise science – after the permanent teeth have erupted and are in wear, aging by teeth is a matter of judgement!

Things to consider  Permanent vs. deciduous teeth  7 and 11 year hooks  Points and stars. Enamel cups and dental stars  Galvayne’s Groove  Incisor Angle  Lip tattoo. 1997 started the alphabet again at “A”

One Year Old

Two Years Old

Three Years Old

Four Years Old

Five Years Old

Six Years Old

Seven Years Old 7-year hook

Eight Years Old

Nine Years Old

Ten Years Old Galvayne’s Groove

Twelve Years Old

Fifteen Years Old

Seventeen Years Old

Twenty Years Old and Older

Dental Problems?

 Quidding  Spilling/spitting grain or hay  Difficulty chewing  Cheek sensitivity or swelling  Sensitivity to the bit  Head shaking or head tilt  Foul odor from mouth or nostrils  Excess salivation  Exaggerated tongue movements  Bleeding from mouth (especially after riding)  Poor body condition  Rough haircoat

Dental Examinations  Probably need to be tranquilized!



MUST

use a full-mouth speculum  Visual and digital examination essential  How often?

Dental Problems  Retained dental caps  Permanent teeth can’t push deciduous teeth out  Lampas  Swelling in hard palate mucous membrane  Two year old bumps  Bone reacts with teeth  lump below jaw  Wolf teeth  Not always next to premolar 2

 Wolf tooth location and extraction

Dental Problems  Canines  Don’t always erupt  Molar hooks  Upper premolar 2  Lower third molar (most painful)  Float inside lower jaw, outside of upper jaw  Cribbing (woodchewing)  Air isn’t swallowed!

 Floating the teeth to get rid of sharp points on molars and premolars  Outside of upper teeth  Inside of lower teeth

Dental Problems  Windsucking (Stumpsucking)  Similar to Cribbing but doesn’t require something to set teeth on  May cause colic  Overdevelopment of neck muscles  Parrot Mouth/overshot jaw  Increased incidence of molar hooks  Decreased ability to prehend food

Parrot Mouth

Dental Problems  Monkey Mouth/undershot jaw  Wave Mouth   Can be caused by retained cap Uneven wear of premolars and molars  Step mouth  Missing teeth/uneven wear  Cracked or fractured teeth

Dental Problems  Periodontal disease  Dental decay  Tooth root abscess  Supernumerary teeth  Dentigerous cyst  Salivary duct injuries  Tongue lacerations  Oral ulcers

Dental Problems  Cleft Palate  Odontomas  Bishoping

Dysphagia Inability to prehend, chew and swallow properly  Difficulty or unwillingness to eat  Slow and messy feeding  Extreme bad breath  Quidding  Productive cough  Nasal reflux of saliva, food and fluids  Possible Causes:  Strangles infection    Stylohyoid osteomyleitis Physical trauma Poisoning, such as lead  Botulism