EOTRH in Horses: Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis

EOTRH is a painful, progressive dental disease of older horses causing resorption and abnormal tooth root growth, requiring specialist dental management.

Key Facts

EOTRH affects primarily incisors and canines, with radiography essential for diagnosis
Older horses (15+ years) are most commonly affected, with some breeds overrepresented
Clinical signs include reluctance to accept the bit, difficulty eating hard feed, and facial pain
Radiography reveals characteristic resorptive lesions and hypercementosis of tooth roots
Extraction of affected teeth is the definitive treatment and resolves pain dramatically
Many horses with EOTRH continue to graze and eat well after extraction
Regular dental examinations from age 10 onwards help detect early disease

Welfare Considerations

EOTRH causes chronic, progressive dental pain that significantly impairs quality of life. Horses show subtle signs of discomfort - reluctance to be bridled, dropping feed, facial sensitivity - that are often attributed to behavioral issues rather than pain. Radiographic examination reveals the extent of disease, which is often more severe than clinical examination suggests. Extraction of severely affected teeth, while seemingly drastic, consistently results in marked improvement in comfort and behavior, demonstrating how much pain these horses were silently enduring.

What You Can Do

Schedule annual dental examinations with an equine dental veterinarian from age 10
Request incisor radiography if your older horse shows reluctance to accept the bit
Recognize behavioral changes (head tossing, bit resistance) as potential pain signals
Discuss extraction timing with your vet - early intervention reduces suffering duration
Provide soft feed alternatives if your horse has difficulty eating after diagnosis
Monitor extracted horses closely in the days after surgery for appropriate healing
Join equine dental welfare advocacy efforts to promote routine senior horse dental care