Equine Dentistry: Oral endoscopic examination in the horse

This is an imaged captured using an oral endoscope. This instrument gives a very detailed image of the structures within the mouth, which were previously only observed with a large dental mirror. In this photo of the occlusal surface of the right maxillary 1st molar, feed material is present in defects overlying the 5 pulp horns. This occurs with pulp necrosis (death of the pulp); healthy pulp is responsible for production of new dentine overlying the pulp as the tooth material on the occlusal surface wears away (attrition).

In addition to still images, the endoscopy can be recorded in video clips. This type of examination is extremely important in identifying oral pathology and aiding in the formulation of a treatment plan.In this case it supported the radiographic diagnosis of apical (tooth root) abscess of the right maxillary 1st molar. This is the radiograph and the extracted molar::