Study of the relationship between overjet development and some skull bone measurements in Warmblood foals

Overjet is defined as the projection of the maxillary incisors labial to their antagonists in a horizontal direction. This malocclusion in horses can lead to incorrect dental wear and is aesthetically undesirable. Whether lengthening of the maxilla or shortening of the mandible causes the condition has not yet been determined. Therefore, a measurement technique was developed to investigate the correlations between skull bone measurements in overjet-affected individuals. The position of the incisors in 650 Warmblood foals born in a private German stud was examined at two weeks of age, revealing the prevalence of overjet to be 2 per cent. Five measurements were made on each foal's head and comparisons with a second set of measurements that were made later in the foals first year showed a change in the presence or degree of overjet over time. Nine of 13 foals diagnosed with measurable overjet at the beginning of the study resolved spontaneously. Thirteen foals had no evidence of overjet at birth, of which four developed the condition during the first year of life. The methods used for measuring longitudinal changes in different skull bones and for the assessment of malocclusion in foals affected with overjet were considered effective.