The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
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YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2017 AAEP CONVENTION SPONSORED BY A10 TheHorse.com/AAEP2017 AAEP Wrap-Up THE HORSE March 2018 these focused on equine teeth, Dixon said. The first veterinary colleges opened in France and Britain in the 18th century. The first U.S. school was established in 1875. By the late 19th century German and American surgeons had developed innovative equine dental tools, Dixon said, while some British vets and colleges saw little need for advancement in the field. In the early 1900s Germans led scientific research in equine dental care. Post-World War II, as the world economy and pros- perity grew, so did interest in the recre- ational use of horses. With horse owner- ship growing, equine veterinary medicine advancement grew, as well, partially spurred by the formation of the AAEP and British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) in the 1950s and '60s. During this time and through the 1980s, owner interest in equine den- tistry grew, but vet students still received limited dental training. This left a void of veterinary equine dental expertise and al- lowed room in the market for lay equine "dentists" without veterinary training. Dixon said some of these lay "dentists" did—and still do—offer detrimental services, such as "performance floats," bit seating, and incisor tooth reductions. He described this work as aggressive and often exposing sensitive tissues, caus- ing dental pain and damage. Some vets adopted these unproven procedures, as well, he added. In the 1990s BEVA and AAEP saw the deficit in dental education and research for equine vets. Through promotional programs and training, they have helped introduce evidence-based dental work into veterinary practice. Further, the Eu- ropean Veterinary Dental College and the American Veterinary Dental College have developed equine dentistry subspecialties. Current Equine Dentistry Dixon reviewed today's equine dental practices, starting with the standard veterinary dental exam. This should take place annually—more often for young/old horses or ones with dental issues. They're usually done under sedation and involve: ■ Palpating the cheeks to find any food pockets or cheek teeth irregularities; ■ Visually inspecting incisors, canines; ■ Assessing incisor and cheek teeth movement over each other (occlusion) by manually moving the mandible (lower jaw) side to side; ■ Opening the mouth with a speculum and inspecting the upper incisors' oc- clusal surfaces with a dental mirror or endoscope; ■ Inspecting the cheek teeth with a head- lamp, dental mirrors, and/or oral endo- scope, and palpating each tooth; Dixon recommends vets check their glove after for malodor, which might indicate infection or periodontal disease; and ■ Recording findings on a chart and pro- viding that information to the owner. Because much of the tooth lies below the gum line, vets must use X rays to eval- uate root and reserve crown disorders. Equine Dental and Oral Disorders Dental disorders and pain combine to create significant equine welfare issues, Dixon said, citing cases of "difficult" or "hard-mouthed" horses found to have se- vere dental problems. A careful exam can help identify and treat problems early. Dental disorders he covered included: Overjet (upper incisors protruding clos- er to the front of the nose than the lower incisors) and overbite ("parrot mouth," upper incisors protruding forward and in front of the lower incisors) Often used interchangeably, these two inherited dis- orders result from abnormal craniofacial bone structure, and dental abnormalities are secondary; Underbite More common in ponies, Miniature Horses, and donkeys, this is also a craniofacial bone structure abnor- mality with secondary dental problems; Retained deciduous teeth If "baby teeth" aren't lost, they can cause perma- nent incisor displacement and long-term wear changes to the opposing incisors; Incisor fractures These usually result from trauma, such as kicks; Abnormal incisor wear Tooth irregu- larities can compromise jaw movement, which leads to this issue, as can wood chewing, cribbing, and rubbing teeth on fixed objects; Diagonal mouth (slant or slope mouth) A slight degree of slope is common. Vets now believe most slant mouths are sec- ondary to developmental bone structure abnormalities, such as wry nose; Periodontal or diastema (gap between teeth) disease Impacted food can cause gum and deeper periodontal inflamma- tion. Cheek tooth diastema is the most common and painful equine dental disease, Dixon said; Equine odontoclastic tooth resorp- tion and hypercementosis (EOTRH) This painful disease of the incisors and/or canine teeth in older horses results in the breakdown of calcified dental tissue and overproduction of cementum. There's no way to treat it other than tooth extraction; Fibro-osseous mandibular tumors These growths can develop in young horses and require removing part of the jaw; and Maxillary (upper jaw) cheek teeth row rostral malpositioning Occurs with "par- rot mouth." Horses can also experience canine is- sues, including delayed eruption, EORTH, and excess calcification (which can cause gingival disease). For horses with excess calcification, Dixon recommended own- ers brush the canines multiple times per week following tartar removal. Horses evolved over millions of years in response to climate and food changes. The wear from near-constant grazing of grasses led to tougher, continuously erupting teeth. Veterinary understanding of equine teeth continues to evolve, as well, and dental care should be per- formed by a licensed vet, said Dixon, based on scientifically proven protocols and an in-depth understanding of dental anatomy and pathology. h Equine Surg Referral @Equinesurgrefs As Jack Easley just said, '(Dixon) is most responsible for bringing dentistry out of the dark ages and into the light.' Dental disorders and pain combine to cre- ate significant equine welfare issues." DR. PADRAIC DIXON