Histological and Ultrastructural Anatomy of Equine Dentition by I.T. Dacre - AAEP Focus 2006

Knowledge of endodontic status (notably whether pulp has been replaced by dentine) is important in equine dentistry as it may give an indication of how much crown may be removed during clinical crown reduction before encountering vital pulp. This is important in conditions such as step-mouth where large (>5mm) crown reductions may be necessary. Knowledge of endodontic status (notably whether pulp has been replaced by dentine) is important in equine dentistry as it may give an indication of how much crown may be removed during clinical crown reduction before encountering vital pulp. This is important in conditions such as step-mouth where large (>5mm) crown reductions may be necessary (ref Dacre AAEP 2006 'How to' paper). Additionally, when performing clinical endodontic (i.e. pulp and pulp chamber) procedures, knowledge of the anatomy of the pulp chamber or horn must be known to improve the likely success of any intervention. "The hard tissue repository of the human dental pulp takes on many configurations that must be understood before treatment can begin" (Burns & Herbranson 2002). This quote by Richard Burns, editor and author in 'Pathways of the Pulp', a text detailing the 'art and science' of human endodontics, may indicate why equine endodontic therapy currently yields poor results with one study reporting 58% (11/19) of CT endodontic procedures to have short-term success (i.e. 12 months post procedure) and only 40% (6/15) having long-term success (i.e. >24 months post-surgery) (Schramme et al. 1999). Knowing the complete endodontic anatomy of equine dentition, which has only recently been fully determined, may help improve the likely success of equine endodontic interventions (Dacre 2004b).