Oral Surgery in the Standing, Sedated Horse

Oral surgery in the standing, sedated horse

Introduction
Diseases in the oral cavity of the horse are common reasons for veterinary consultations. As a consequence, the removal of teeth or endodontic therapies are frequent procedures in equine veterinary practice. Today, clinical, oral and nasal endoscopic, radiographic, and in some cases computed tomographic examinations are possible in the standing, sedated horse. As a consequence, the therapy of the underlying disease should be performed in the standing horse to avoid complications and risks of general anaesthesia. Possible surgeries in the standing, sedated horse Standing oral extraction of incisors and cheek teeth (Fig. 1) is currently the exodontic technique of choice because of a very low rate of complications (1). When oral extraction fails, repulsion of maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth (2) or minimally invasive buccotomy with subsequent screw extraction (Fig. 2) or dental fragmentation (3) are alternative ways for tooth removal. In selected cases, treatment by apical curettage or endodontic therapy is useful. If palpable residual dental fragments are left within the alveolus, location and loosening of these fragments is possible under endoscopic guidance (4). Secondary dental sinusitis can be treated via standing exploratory sinus surgery and lavage after trephination (Fig. 3) or bone flap. […]