Reparative dentistry in a bull

Dentistry-related problems are by far the most common medical problems encountered in veterinary medicine. Cattle with poor oral health lose their general health condition, rear their calves poorly and also fetch low prices when sold. Ruminant dentistry is a particularly neglected area, generally only being used for age determination.

I bring this brief report to the readers of Dental Update and hope that it is of interest. A 15-year-old bull attended in the outpatient department of PMNM Dental College and Hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India accompanied by the owner. The owner complained that he was unable to fetch a good price for the bull because of its decayed lower anterior teeth. Generalized deterioration of the health of the bull was also reported.

A wooden mouth prop was used to stabilize the jaws in order to facilitate thorough oral examination. Intra-oral examination revealed a crescent-shaped black carious lesion involving the middle third of lower right and left central incisors (Figure 1). On examination, the lesion was found not to be invading the pulp chamber. Excavation of the carious involvement was carried out without the use of any local anaesthesia.