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
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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:
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Central
Intermediate
Corner
Eruption Dates
Deciduous
Permanent
1st incisor
0 – 1 week
2 ½ years
2nd incisor
4 – 6 week
3 ½ years
3rd incisor
6 – 9 months
4 ½ years
*Canine
4 – 5 years
1st Premolar (wolf
tooth)
5 – 6 months
Eruption Dates
Deciduous
Permanent
2nd Premolar
0 – 2 weeks
2 ½ years
3rd Premolar
0 – 2 weeks
3 years
4th Premolar
0 – 2 weeks
4 years
1st Molar
9 – 12 months
2nd Molar
2 years
3rd Molar
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
 Foul odor from mouth or
 Spilling/spitting grain or




hay
Difficulty chewing
Cheek sensitivity or
swelling
Sensitivity to the bit
Head shaking or head tilt

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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
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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

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Outside of upper teeth
Inside of lower teeth
Dental Problems
 Windsucking (Stumpsucking)
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Similar to Cribbing but doesn’t require
something to set teeth on
May cause colic
Overdevelopment of neck muscles
 Parrot Mouth/overshot jaw
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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
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unwillingness to eat
Slow and messy feeding
Extreme bad breath
Quidding
Productive cough
Nasal reflux of saliva,
food and fluids
 Possible Causes:
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Strangles infection
Stylohyoid osteomyleitis
Physical trauma
Poisoning, such as lead
Botulism