Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prevalence of occlusal pulpar exposure in 110 equine cheek teeth with apical infections and idiopathic fractures.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- van den Enden, M S D & Dixon, P M
- Affiliation:
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study of 110 horse cheek teeth that were removed due to infections or fractures, researchers found that 79 of these teeth had infections, mostly caused by bacteria spreading from other areas. The remaining 31 teeth had fractures that seemed to occur for no clear reason. About 32% of the infected teeth had exposure of the pulp, which is the soft tissue inside the tooth, and this was more common in teeth with fractures, where 42% showed pulp exposure. The findings suggest that the way the teeth are structured can lead to multiple areas of pulp exposure, especially in teeth affected by fractures. Overall, the study highlights the connection between tooth infections and fractures, showing that treatment may need to address both issues.
Abstract
Examination of 110 cheek teeth (CT) that were clinically extracted (between 2004 and 2008) because of apical infection (n=79; mean dental age 3.5 years) or idiopathic CT fractures (n=31; median dental age 8.5 years), including examinations of transverse and longitudinal sections, showed the apical infections to be mainly (68%) due to anachoresis, with the residual cases caused by periodontal spread, infundibular caries spread, fissure fractures and dysplasia. The idiopathic fracture patterns were similar to previously described patterns. Occlusal pulpar exposure was found in 32% of apically infected CT, including multiple pulps in 27% and a single pulp in 5%. However, 10% of apically infected CT had changes to the occlusal secondary dentine, termed occlusal pitting, but did not have exposure of the underlying pulp. Multiple pulpar exposures occurred in some CT with apical infections, and the combination of pulp involvement reflects the anatomical relationships of these pulps. A higher proportion (42%) of CT extracted because idiopathic fractures had pulpar exposure (26% multiple, 16% single pulps), especially with midline sagittal maxillary and miscellaneous pattern mandibular CT fractures, but only (3%) had occlusal pitting.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19010702/