Dental anomalies, variations and pathology in the Swedish red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Abstract

Abstract Background The aims of this study were to investigate dental anomalies, variations, and pathology in the Swedish red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Skulls from 55 free-ranging red foxes, all obtained through legal hunt, from the south and western parts of Sweden, were examined macroscopically and radiographically for dental anomalies, variations, and pathology. Results: Seventeenfoxes which corresponds to 31% of the foxes had an incomplete dentition. In total, 43 teeth were missing leaving 2267 out of 2310 teeth for examination. The three most common macroscopic findings in the 2267 teeth where; attrition/abrasion (n=149, 6.5%), uncomplicated crown fractures (n=130, 5.7%) and enamel defects (n=49, 2.2%). The three most common radiographic findings were radicular developmental grooves (n=313, 13.8%), periapical radiolucency (n=134, 5.9%) and dilaceration (n=52, 2.3%). Malocclusions were found in four foxes. No deciduous teeth or mixed dentition were observed. Conclusions: Radicular grooves and dilacerations in tooth roots were common findings in the examined foxes and are to be considered as normal variations of tooth morphology rather than anomalies. As in many other carnivores, dental trauma was a common finding. Attrition, abrasion, uncomplicated and complicated crown fractures, and their consequences, may have adverse implications on the Swedish red fox´s ability to hunt, and on quality of life.