Dental Endoscopy in the Horse

An oral examination is an essential part of the investigation of any suspected dental disease in the horse. The range of opening of the equine mouth is extremely limited even when the horse is sedated and this severely limits the visualization of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth and structures at the caudal aspect of the oral cavity. This can be facilitated by the use of dental mirrors, but better visualization is achieved by using an endoscope adapted for the equine mouth, which produces a greatly magnified image suitable for demonstration purposes. A rigid endoscope coupled to a halogen light source and a chip camera enables detailed visualization of the occlusal aspects of the cheek teeth. In addition, the buccal, lingual, and palatal aspects can be examined enabling greatly improved detection of oral ulceration and periodontal disease. Endoscopy enables more sensitive detection of dental diseases including dentine fissures, infundibular hypoplasia, caries, enamel fissures, dental fractures, periodontal pocketing, cemental caries, and other oral diseases including gingival ulceration. Under endoscopic guidance occlusal lesions can be probed and assessed more thoroughly. Although equipment costs are high and a moderate level of sedation is required, equine endoscopy represents a significant advance in the ability to accurately examine the equine mouth.