Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ectopic eruption of a permanent mandibular tooth in a miniature horse: case report.
- Journal:
- Veterinary research communications
- Year:
- 2026
- Authors:
- Mendes, Rubens Peres et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Surgery · Brazil
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old female miniature horse was brought to the vet because she had a hard swelling on the left side of her jaw that had been getting bigger for three months. After examining her, the vet found that a permanent tooth was stuck in a horizontal position and had not erupted properly, while the baby tooth was still in place. They decided to remove the stuck tooth but left the baby tooth to help keep food from getting into the area. Unfortunately, after the surgery, the horse developed an infection that affected another tooth, which also had to be removed. However, after about two months, the horse healed well, and there were no more signs of problems, so she was sent home and has been doing fine since.
Abstract
Developmental and eruption abnormalities are common and can result in progressive dental diseases. Ectopic eruption of the affected tooth may be the result of these processes. This study aims to report the occurrence of a permanent mandibular tooth in a horizontal position, with retention of the corresponding deciduous tooth, in a miniature horse. A 2-year-old female miniature horse was admitted to the veterinary hospital with a hard swelling on the left mandibular ramus, which had been growing continuously for three months. After a complete evaluation, it was concluded that the swelling was tooth 307, unerupted, immature, in a horizontal position between teeth 306 and 707. It was decided to extract tooth 307, keeping the corresponding deciduous tooth as a mechanical barrier to food entry. The extraction was performed by lateral alveolotomy, syndesmotomy, and retrograde repulsion. Postoperative alveolar infection progressed with apical contamination of tooth 707, requiring its extraction for clinical resolution of the condition. After 60th postoperative day, adequate alveolar healing, reduction in the depth of the intraoral fistula, and complete closure of the external fistula were observed. The patient was discharged from the hospital and has not shown any new clinical signs since then.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41739280/