Morphometric Characteristics of the First Premolar (wolf Tooth) in Horses, with Special Reference to Its Clinical Importance

Wolf tooth is a common term used to describe the first premolar, a functionless remnant from modern horse’s ancestors. This study was performed to reveal possible relationships between morphometric characteristics of wolf tooth and its clinical importance in animal’s health. A total of 158 wolf teeth were extracted from 83 horses from 1.5 to 15 years of age during a period of one year and divided into two groups based on the age of the animals: Group 1, up to 3 years old and group 2, over 3 years old. Crown length, root length, neck width and crown/root ratio of the teeth were measured using a Vernier caliper. Crown length, root length and neck width decreased significantly in group 2, while the crown/root ratio was considerably increased. Crown length exhibited a significant correlation (P˂0.05) with root length in group 1, while this correlation was stronger (P˂0.01) in group 2. Crown length was significantly correlated with neck width (P˂0.01) in both groups, but there was no significant correlation between root length and neck width in both groups. Also, crown length and root length were negatively and significantly related (P˂0.01) with age in both studied groups and became shorter. The results revealed that the crown of the wolf tooth could be a more reliable indicator for estimatation of the root length in horses over 3 years of age than in those under 3 years and that in younger horses this criterion had a lower potential to predict the root length.