Prevalence of dental disorders in an abattoir population of horses in South Africa by oral examination of intact and bisected heads

Abstract

Highlights• The prevalence of dental disorders in an abattoir population of horses was determined.• Findings during oral examination of intact and bisected heads were also compared.• Older horses had a higher prevalence of infundibular caries, diastemata and fractures.• Gasterophilus larvae were detected in 20% of the heads examined.• Oral examination of intact heads was adequate for diagnosing gross disorders. AbstractDental care is an integral part of equine veterinary practice. The objectives of this cross sectional study were to describe the prevalence of dental disorders in an abattoir population of horses, and to compare oral examination of intact and bisected heads. Heads from 40 horses were examined, 19 males and 21 females, divided into immature, adults and older horses. Older horses in this abattoir population had a significantly higher prevalence of infundibular caries (91.7%), diastemata (66.7%) and fractures (58.3%), whereas dental wear disorders affected all age groups.Gasterophilus larvae were detected in 20% of the horses. The oral examination performed on intact heads was adequate for diagnosing gross disorders, but further examination is needed for reliably diagnosing minor disorders.

Malocclusions and Dental Diseases in Privately Owned Horses in the Mazovia Region of Poland

“…In recent studies, two methods have been used to obtain data on the occurrence of dental disorder in horse populations. The first approach involves screening horses’ teeth at slaughter [ 5 , 6 ], while the second involves screening horses’ teeth during annual routine examination of the oral cavity [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Post mortem examinations of equine heads obtained from slaughterhouses [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] evaluate sample groups that may be considered representative of the larger study population, whereas routine examinations of live horses [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ] satisfy the criteria of descriptive studies.…”

“…It is widely accepted that oral cavity diseases and their sequalae constitute a serious health problem in horses worldwide [ 1 ]. Both routine [ 2 , 3 , 4 ] and post mortem [ 5 , 6 ] examinations of the oral cavity have revealed that dental diseases are the most commonly diagnosed oral cavity pathology. As previously indicated by Salem et al [ 7 ], most studies of equine dental disease type and incidence are based on clinical cases of hospitalized horses or autopsies of equine heads obtained from slaughterhouses [ 3 , 5 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

High Prevalence of Orodental Disorders in South Brazilian Cart Horses: Walking a Tightrope Between Animal Welfare and Socioeconomic Inevitability

“…The frequency of IC (32.9%) was similar to that previously observed. 23,36 It was reported that infundibular changes are most likely to be present in upper Triadan 09 (23.5%). 23 One study 12 reported a lower prevalence but the study was conducted examining younger working horses with a mean age of 6 years.…”

“…Among premolar and molar malocclusions, our investigations show waves as the fourth most commonly found alteration (54.3%), which corroborates findings of a previous study. 36 It is supposed that the prevalence of cheek teeth wave-like malocclusion is high in old horses but dramatically increases after age of 20 years and older. 37 However, there was no statistically significant difference between G1 and G2 in our findings, although G2 showed a slightly higher prevalence.…”

“…The prevalence of incisor curvatures observed in our study (DC 21.4%, VC 17.1%) was similar to that found in a population of South African horses. 36 Possibly, low masticatory jaw excursion, high frequency chewing activity, alternated change and eruption of incisor teeth, or behavioral stereotypes like cribbing promote development of dental changes. Additionally, there was a significant difference ( P = .039) for DC more frequently occurring among females in our study, however, no justification for this is known.…”