Dimensions of 65 Extracted Equine First Premolar Teeth

The equine first premolar ("wolf tooth," Triadan number 05) is frequently extracted, and although extracted teeth have been observed to vary greatly in size, published data describing tooth dimensions are limited. Total length, root length, crown height, and crown width were measured in 65 extracted wolf teeth. Dimensions, expressed as median (range) mm, were total length: 21 (12-34), root length: 13.2 (0-19.6), crown height: 7 (2-20), and crown width: 7 (2.6-16). Root length exceeded crown height in 61 of the 65 teeth. Crown height and crown width were either not correlated or poorly correlated with root length using Spearman rank correlation coefficient (ρ = -.093 and ρ = .463, respectively). Total length was poorly correlated with crown height (ρ = .443) but had a fair correlation with crown width (ρ = .646). The dimensions of the clinical crown of the tooth do not provide a good estimate of root length, although the root is usually longer than the crown.