Equine dental disease Part 1: A long-term study of 400 cases: disorders ofincisor, canine and first premolar teeth

A review of 400 horses referred because of dental disorders showed 44 cases to suffer from primary disorders of their incisors and 11 from canine or 1 st premolar teeth disorders. The remaining 345 horses suffered from primary disorders of the cheek teeth. Disorders of incisors included traumatic dam age to teeth and their supporting bones, retained deciduous, displaced and supernumerary incisors; brachygnathia and abnormalities of wear, with most of the latter disorders being secondary to primary disorders of the cheek t eeth Only 3 cases of apical infection of incisors were recognised. Most cas es of fractured incisors responded well to conservative therapy. Retained d eciduous incisors were extracted, but most cases with supernumerary and dis placed incisors, or brachygnathia were treated conservatively. Most disorde rs of the canine and 1st premolar were developmental displacements that cau sed bitting problems (abnormalities of head movement associated with the bi t), and these cases responded well to extraction of the displaced teeth.