Incidence of enamel defects in permanent canine teeth after extraction of lingual canine molars in dogs

Temporarily accepted

Preventive orthodontics may be indicated in puppies presenting with a dental malocclusion with mandibular lingual canines to relieve pain and prevent tooth interference, which can affect the growth and development of the mandibles. Historically mandibular canine extraction is recommended as soon as an abnormality is identified, often from 6-8 weeks of age and no later than 12 weeks of age. This early baby tooth extraction surgery risks potential damage to the developing permanent canine teeth resulting in enamel defects often referred to as Turner tooth or Turner hypoplasia. Medical records from five veterinary dental practices were searched to identify dogs 8–12 weeks of age who a) underwent mandibular deciduous canine extractions for Class 1 or Class 2 malocclusion with a mandibular lingual canine and b) observed for at least one follow-up to evaluate enamel defects in mandibular permanent canines. In addition, data were collected to determine the number of dogs that required additional treatment after the eruption of the permanent canine teeth due to retraction of the permanent canine teeth. All procedures were performed by a board-certified veterinary dentist or a supervised veterinary dentist. Seventy-four dogs met the inclusion criteria and a total of 143 mandibular deciduous canine teeth were extracted, of which 13 dogs developed enamel defects affecting 21 permanent canine teeth. The 13 affected dogs represent a cumulative incidence rate of 17.5% (13/74 (95%CI 11-28%). Of all extracted teeth, 14.6% (21/143) had enamel defects affecting the permanent Twenty-eight dogs required additional treatment to prevent permanent canines from causing trauma to the hard palate and gingiva, which represented 37.8% (28/74) of all dogs in the study. dog at the time of extraction was not found to be associated with the likelihood of enamel defects This is the first reported rate of enamel defects in mandibular permanent canines after mandibular canine extraction and is important to consider when counseling or performing the extraction of milk teeth in dogs.