While it can be tempting to apply human products to horses, many don't work the same way across species – and some can even cause harm. Some potentially harmful products to horses are those used in human oral care. Though human and equine teeth have similar structures, they differ drastically in form and function.
One main difference is that equine teeth continually erupt, reports EQUUS magazine. Because of this, the tissue that surrounds the tooth, the periodontium, is responsible for both tooth attachment and tooth eruption.
German researchers tested four materials used in human dentistry on equine periodontium: a paste developed specifically for filling pockets in gums, a temporary cement that affixes crowns and bridges to teeth, a paste used for endodontic (soft pulp tissue inside the tooth) treatments, and an impression material used to prepare implants.
Periodontium cells were collected from a healthy yearling and placed in four petri dishes. The test materials were added to each dish and after 24 hours the cells were examined for any change in appearance. The scientists also tested the cells for signs of inflammation and viability.
The results showed that the impression material and the paste for endodontic treatments damaged or killed the periodontic cells. The researchers concluded that these two products would most likely harm a living horse. The other two materials had no adverse effects on the cells.
Though products used in human dentistry must be used on the horses since there are no equine-specific materials, the team reiterated that the products should first be tested on equine tissues to ensure they cause no harm.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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