A clinical survey of 244 equines with dental disorders in Thailand

Abstract

Dental problems in equines can cause emaciation, colic, and poor performance. Types of dental disease in equine populations have been reported worldwide in veterinary medicine; however, few detailed investigations of equine dental problems in Thailand have been published. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of equine dental problems in Thailand. Standard dental and oral cavity examinations were performed on 244 equines (232 horses and 12 donkeys) ranging in age from 2–21 years (median = 9.88) from Western, Northern, and Central parts of Thailand between January 2015 and December 2017. The dental disorders were recorded and the data was analyzed to determine the proportion as a percentage of dental disorders. Logistic regression was used to find relations between dental floatation routine, gender, age, body weight, and dental disorders. The survey showed that sharp cheek teeth (82.37%) was the most common problem, which was often associated with frontal hook (10.65%) and caudal hook (6.55%). Other disorders observed included incisor tartar (9.42%) and canine teeth tartar (9.42%). One to two years routine of dental examination and floatation has 2.54 times (p<0.01) higher chance to develop sharp teeth compared to 0.5-1 year routine. In addition, not having any routine increased this effect by 22 times(p<0.01). Sharp cheek teeth was by far the most found and significant dental problem in these equines. These findings show the importance of regular dental floating and tartar scaling. Early detection and treatment can improve equine oral health.