17/09/2025
⭐️🐴 EOTRH Case Study: Lady 🐴⭐️
Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a dental condition we usually see in middle-aged to older horses. It normally affects the incisors but can occasionally affect the first few cheek teeth. The disease involves two different processes – the first starting with destruction of the tooth, the second, overproduction of cementum which is the hard substance on the tooth’s surface. 🦷
EOTRH is a progressive disease so often clinical signs aren’t seen until later on in the disease process and may not be recognised until the horse becomes painful. Signs of discomfort might be subtle changes like not wanting to bite down on a carrot or more obvious signs of difficulty when chewing or grazing. We may also see changes around the gum line ranging from subtle signs of inflammation to more obvious ulcerations and draining tracts.
🩺💉 We diagnose EOTRH using both an examination of the teeth and x-rays. Treatment will often involve the removal of the affected teeth. As the condition can be painful, once removed, most patients will experience an improvement in quality of life and learn pretty quickly how to cope with some missing teeth!
Here are some x-rays of the lovely Lady who came in the other week after changes were noted when she had her routine dental. Lady’s x-rays showed that two of her teeth were affected and needed to be removed. (See first image). The teeth were removed under standing sedation and local anaesthetic. We went out to see how Lady was getting on this week and are pleased to say the extraction sites are healing up really well and Lady doesn’t seem to be at all phased with having two less teeth! 🦷🦷
