Abstract
BackgroundThe Bull terrier breed has been reported in the veterinary literature to suffer frequent dental and skeletal malocclusions. In this retrospective case series, we report skeletal-dental anomalies in a group of 33 Bull terriers presented for a dental consultation.ResultsOut of 33 dogs examined, 24 cases had full mouth radiography or Cone-beam computed tomography performed. Eruption and development abnormalities observed were as follows: hypodontia in 54.1% (13/24), eruption changes in 29.2% (7/24), and tooth shape abnormalities in 33.3% (8/24). All dogs presented with some type of dental or skeletal malocclusion: neutroclusion was the most common (66.7% of the animals), followed by mandibular mesioclusion (18.8%), maxillo-mandibular asymmetry (9.4%), and mandibular distoclusion (6.3%). Dental abnormalities noted included rotation of mandibular and maxillary premolar teeth, distal displacement of the incisor teeth, lingual displacement of the mandibular canine teeth, and absence of mandibular premolar and molar teeth. Lingual displacement of mandibular canine teeth was associated with malocclusion causing trauma (odds ratio 7.1, 95% confidence interval [1.4 to 36.1], p = 0.024).ConclusionsMalocclusions and tooth shape abnormalities were found to be the most frequent finding in this group of Bull terriers. Although these findings cannot be generalized to the global population further studies are needed to observe the true expression of these anomalies in the general breed population.
Highlights
The Bull terrier breed has been reported in the veterinary literature to suffer frequent dental and skeletal malocclusions
The goal of the study was to report dental anomalies observed in a group of Bull terrier dogs that presented for a dental consultation in two veterinary dental practices
Thirty-three Bull terrier dogs were included in this study; 15 were male, 18 were female, 29 were intact, and the four neutered were all females
Summary
The Bull terrier breed has been reported in the veterinary literature to suffer frequent dental and skeletal malocclusions. The downward pointing of the snout is the principal feature of this breed that distinguishes it from most breeds [1]. This feature is known as klinorhynchy which means the property of a downwardly bent facial skeleton. Skeletal malocclusions can result from jaw length discrepancy and dental malocclusions from changes in tooth position, often combined [2]. They can cause potentially serious consequences depending on the type of malocclusion and teeth involved, from mild soft tissue trauma to severe dental and bone lesions.
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