Article
Dentistry-related problems are by far the most common medical problems encountered in veterinary medicine. Cattle with poor oral health lose their general health condition, rear their calves poorly and also fetch low prices when sold. Ruminant dentistry is a particularly neglected area, generally only being used for age determination.
I bring this brief report to the readers of Dental Update and hope that it is of interest. A 15-year-old bull attended in the outpatient department of PMNM Dental College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India accompanied by the owner. The owner complained that he was unable to fetch a good price for the bull because of its decayed lower anterior teeth. Generalized deterioration of the health of the bull was also reported.
A wooden mouth prop was used to stabilize the jaws in order to facilitate thorough oral examination. Intra-oral examination revealed a crescent-shaped black carious lesion involving the middle third of lower right and left central incisors (Figure 1). On examination, the lesion was found not to be invading the pulp chamber. Excavation of the carious involvement was carried out without the use of any local anaesthesia.
Restoration was done with light cure resin composite (Filtek™ P90 Silorane Low Shrink Restorative, 3M ESPE) using an incremental technique (Figure 2).
Teeth serve animals as a means of masticating their food and are also used as weapons of offence and defence.1 According to their form and location in the mouth, the teeth are classified as incisors, canine and molars. The incisors are absent from the upper jaws of all ruminants, including cattle, their place being taken up by the ‘dental pad’. In the lower jaw, there are eight incisors which are slightly mobile in all directions. The eight incisors are chisel-shaped and do not have flat tables and an infundibulum. The incisors are described as centrals, first intermediate, second intermediate and corner incisors. The canines are absent in all ruminants.2
Dental caries, as seen in man, may occur but is relatively rare in ruminants.1 Cattle, however, are prone to developing a different type of cavity, known as a resorption lesions or Dental Resorptive Lesions (DRL) or Cervical Neck Lesions (CNL). These are generally classified by stages. The stages relate to the extent of disease into the tooth structure.3
It may be concluded that routine teeth brushing, oral medicated rinses, and quality dry food diets are all important aspects of maintaining a cow's oral hygiene. Monitoring the teeth for tartar build-up and inflamed gums are key factors in obtaining dental care before the onset of more severe levels of dental disease. It should be mandatory for the veterinarian to include a thorough oral examination as part of a general clinical examination of ruminants, even if there are no clinical signs of dental disease.4