Todayโs path rounds are on ๐จ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
To put it simply, ๐จ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ are tumours that produce teeth! They range in presentation from haphazard arrangements of tissue that normally make up teeth, to the presence of fully developed teeth within the tumour.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
This condition is most frequently seen in horses, however can occur in other species.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Itโs not sure why these tumours happen, however they develop during ๐จ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ, or formation of teeth in the developing embryo. Because it occurs during this development period, it has been suggested that they might be a developmental anomaly or a ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐ (an irregular development of tissue that forms a mass). So far, there have not been any predisposing factors identified that lead to the development of these tumours.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
These tumours cause destruction by ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, meaning that as they get bigger, they end up compressing and destroying the tissue that surrounds them. Because they are most commonly found on the jaw, they can compress and destroy some of the surrounding jaw bone, and even cause loss of teeth if their attachment point is compromised. They also can affect the appearance of the animal, causing a large solid mass on the side of the face. Poor pony!
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Initially, the veterinarian will take an X-ray of the mass, where they will be able to see bone destruction and numerous tooth-like structures within the mass. Usually, this is enough for a veterinary surgeon to proceed with removing the mass from the animal. After the mass is removed, it can be sent to a pathologist. The pathologist will look at the tissue under a microscope, and if there is tooth tissue present, a diagnosis of an odontoma can be confirmed!
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Typically, these masses are treated by surgical removal, with good success!
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1) A poor pony with a large odontoma on the side of its face!
2) An X-ray of an odontoma showing many tooth-like structures within the mass.
3-5) The results of surgical removal of an odontoma! They found ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ก (
) within this mass. Insane!
6-8) Examples of what odontomas look like on cut section.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Meuten, DJ. Tumors in Domestic Animals. Fifth Edition.
Photos 1, 6-8 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Read, Ward, Larsen, Harrington licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos 2-5 ยฉ Idaho Equine Hospital, used with permission.
