Equine Dentistry case-based scenarios Flashcards
What is the minimum kit that you will need to do a safe and thorough dental examination?
Headtorch, speculum, gloves, bucket, oral drenching syringe, mirror, picks and probes
Who can place a speculum and rasp a horse’s teeth with handrasps?
Anyone
What are the laws surrounding wolf tooth extraction
- Horse must be sedated
- Must be under continuous supervision of a veterinary surgeon.
Can Equine Dental Technicians remove loose caps and cheek teeth with negligible periodontal ligament attachments?
Yes
What are category 1 equine dental procedures?
These procedures may be carried out by anyone, irrespective of whether they have undertaken any training or have any qualifications
List the category 1 equine dental procedures
- Examination of teeth
- Removal of sharp enamel points using manual (hand) floats only
- Removal of small dental overgrowths (maximum 4mm reductions) using manual rasps only
- Removal of loose deciduous caps
- Rostral profiling of the first cheek teeth (maximum 4mm reductions), previously termed ‘bit seat shaping’
- Removal of supragingival calculus
What are category 2 equine dental procedures?
These are additional procedures that are suitable for delegation to an EDT who has trained and passed an examination approved by DEFRA
List the category 2 equine dental procedures
- Examination, evaluation and recording of dental abnormalities
- The extraction of teeth or dental fragments with negligible periodontal attachment.
- The removal of erupted, non-displaced wolf teeth in the upper or lower jaw under direct and continuous veterinary supervision
- Palliative rasping of fractured and adjacent teeth
- The use of motorised dental instruments where these are used to reduce dental overgrowths and remove sharp enamel points only. Horses should be sedated unless it is deemed safe to undertake any proposed procedure without sedation, with full informed consent of the owner.
6-year-old gelding. Owner says he has been ‘balling’ up his hay since switching onto a new batch. What is the most likely cause?
Periodontal disease due to diastema(ta)
How are each row of cheek teeth designed?
To function as one unit, without any gaps
A diastema is the most common cause of?
quidding of forage (hay/haylage).
Why do diastemas develop?
Due to imbalances in the arcades, possibly exacerbated by overdue routine rasping or not enough rasping/balancing performed.
What is the periodontium?
Attachments to the tooth- gum (gingiva) and periodontal ligament
What are the consequences of periodontal disease?
- Gingivitis (inflamed gums)
- Periodontal pocketing(gum recession, bleeding)
- Loss of attachment
- Loose tooth
- Possibly periapical infection (around the apex) /abscessation into the paranasal sinuses/ nasal cavity
Describe widening treatment in horses teeth
Endoscope-guided, partial widening, creates a groove at the occlusal surface of the interproximal space to reduce food trapping and to allow the teeth to continue to erupt without a diastema.
Continuous eruption of horses’ teeth assists us.
Teeth must be rasped/balanced too.
How do loose caps cause periodontal disease?
Periodontal disease due to food trapping under or around a loose deciduous tooth.
What are caries?
Decay
What is the cause of infundibular caries?
- Caused by a lack of cementum in the infundibulum (cemental hypoplasia)
- Usually hypoplasia towards the apical end of the infundibulum
- This level of incomplete filling is exposed usually in teenage years onwards
Food enters -> decay -> may spread to the root canals -> apical infection
Or weakens the tooth -> fracture -> apical infection
What treatment would be advised in horses with infundibular caries?
Refer for extraction to someone able to perform a surgical extraction if required
- Teeth with midline sagittal fracture cannot be saved and extraction is required
When oral extraction of teeth cant be used describe the other method
Minimally-invasive transbuccal extraction (MTE)
Keyhole cheek incision
Oral endoscope guidance
What is the apex of the tooth?
The tip of the tooth (root)
What is an apical infection?
Tooth rot infection
How do apical infections in horses present?
- Common dental disorder
- Often no outward signs!
- May have facial swelling/abscess
- May only have oral examination abnormalities (pulp exposures or draining tracts of pus into the mouth).
- Often no oral abnormalities
Sinusitis can occur secondary to disease of which teeth?
maxillary 08-11 teeth
How does sinusitis present?
Nasal discharge – one-sided, usually malodourous and mucopurulent. Other respiratory infections e.g. Strangles, tend to have discharge from both nostrils BUT NOT ALWAYS
Why do antimicrobials not always work in treating sinusitis?
Pus often becomes inspissated (dehydrates)- antimicrobials may not resolve the issue
May need physically removing/flushing
What is quidding?
dropping of partially chewed hay/haylage from mouth
What is primary dentine?
around pulps is cream coloured if healthy
What is secondary dentine?
Dark staining, overlying pulps. Produced by live pulp tissues. Stops being produced if pulp dies
