Abstract

Among the various oral diseases that affect captive carnivores, dental fractures are highly prevalent. These lesions need immediate treatment, which can range from extraction or endodontic treatment, to complex dental restorations. However, after treatment, the remaining dental elements become weakened, when compared to vital teeth. The dental restoration brings back form and function of the affected teeth, offering better quality of life. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of metallic prosthesis on fractured teeth of captive carnivores, and this way evaluate the viability of the technique and resistance of the prosthesis on these animals.

One cougar (Puma concolor), two jaguars (Panthera onca), one jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) and one lion (Panthera onca) presented fractured canines with pulp exposure in one or more teeth. All teeth were endodontically treated, and then prepared and molded for metallic prosthesis confection. Different techniques were used for prosthetic insertion, and their efficiency evaluated over time. Form and function of the teeth were restored, remaining up to 20 mo without new veterinary intervention. The metallic prosthesis presents as a viable, resistant and of fast recovery alternative for fractured teeth treatment.