94 Age and feeding behavior associated with dental disorders in Western horses

Abstract

Dental disorders can lead to discomfort and chronic pain in horses, affecting their behavior, management, and athletic performance. There is a lack of research on equine management and epidemiology of dental problems in horses trained in Western disciplines. Our main goal is to investigate dental disorders in Western riding horses located in West Texas and their association with management and behavior. For each horse, a Texas Veterinary Board of Medical Examiner (TVBME) licensed Equine Dental Provider investigated the oral environment with a bright headlight, speculum, mirror, probe, and endoscope, assisted by veterinarians for sedation and health evaluation. All findings and pictures were documented through the Pimbury Dental App and approved by an equine dental veterinarian. We developed a dental scoring system to quantify the dental findings ranging from 0 (no abnormalities) to 120 (fractures, periodontal disease, severe pathologies such as hypercementosis, and oral ulcerations associated with all teeth), where higher dental scores indicated worse dental conditions. Horse owners filled out a survey for each horse, which included feeding, medical, riding, and behavioral history. Wecorrected for multiple testing using Bonferroni adjustment, and the significance level was set to α ≤ 0.01. Forty-seven horses with adult dentition (out of the same planned study with over 200 horses) were included in the preliminary correlation analyses. Dental scores ranged from 10 to 60 points (Mean = 32.89, SD ± 11.306). Older age is significantly correlated with increased dental scores (P < 0.001). Commonly reported hay-eating behavioral issues, such as several pauses (P < 0.01) and dropping hay (P < 0.001), show significant correlations to higher dental scores. Dental care history demonstrates a trend toward significance. Horses with no history of dental care scored on average 7.6 points higher than individuals with past dental care (P = 0.03). While we are still adding individuals to the analysis, the preliminary results demonstrate that disruptive hay-eating behaviors could be a sign of dental issues. Furthermore, age is a strong factor influencing dental problems, with a lack of previous dental care as a possible component in Western horses.