Occlusal angles of cheek teeth in normal horses and horses with dental disease

The angle between the occlusal surface of the tooth and the horizontal plane of 687 cheek teeth from the skulls of 22 horses without gross dental disorders and 11 horses with dental disorders were measured by using stiff malleable wire as an imprint. Each measurement was repeated five times and the mean angle was recorded. In the normal skulls, the mean occlusal angles of the mandibular cheek teeth ranged from 19.2 degrees at the Triadan 06 position to 30 degrees at the 11 position, and these angles were significantly greater than the occlusal angles of the opposing maxillary cheek teeth (range 12.5 degrees to 18 degrees) at all the positions except the 06. The rostral mandibular cheek teeth had significantly lower occlusal angles than the caudal mandibular cheek teeth, but the converse was true for the maxillary teeth. In the skulls with dental disorders the occlusal angles of the mandibular cheek teeth ranged from 15.6 degrees to 28.5 degrees , and of the maxillary cheek teeth from 9.2 degrees to 16.4 degrees. They were not significantly different from the angles of the teeth from the normal skulls, except at the 06 position, where they were smaller.