3D Equine dentition simulator for veterinary medical education
Authors: Kleber dos Anjos, Rebecka Carvalho de Souza Silva, Rodrigo Gomes, S. Kassab, Yuri Karaccas de Carvalho
Journal: Brazilian Journal of Animal and Environmental Research
Summary
# Editorial Summary: 3D Equine Dentition Simulator for Veterinary Medical Education Accurate age estimation in horses relies on recognising progressive dental changes—infundibular wear, dental star emergence, root exposure, and alterations to occlusal surface geometry—yet veterinary students often lack access to quality teaching models demonstrating these morphological transitions. Dos Anjos and colleagues developed a three-stage approach to create the Equine Age Estimation Simulator (EAES): sculpting cold porcelain models of incisor teeth representing different ages, digitising these sculptures, and 3D printing finished models that faithfully reproduced critical anatomical landmarks including the infundibulum, dental star, Galvayne's groove, and pulp chamber visibility. The resulting models accurately captured age-related changes across the dentition lifecycle—the shift from rectangular to trapezoidal and triangular occlusal shapes, progressive infundibular obliteration, and the predictable emergence and enlargement of the dental star—whilst remaining economically viable at approximately US$4.72 per complete set using 176.4 grams of ABS filament and 41.1 hours of production time per simulator. For equine practitioners and educational institutions, these low-cost, anatomically precise models offer a practical means to standardise teaching in age estimation, potentially improving diagnostic confidence among newly qualified veterinarians whilst reducing reliance on expensive anatomical specimens or limited access to clinical cases.
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Practical Takeaways
- •This affordable 3D-printed dental simulator could provide veterinary schools and practitioners with a hands-on tool to learn and refine equine age estimation skills without relying on extracted teeth.
- •The simulator's low cost and production time make it feasible for educational programs to create sets for group learning, standardizing teaching of age-related dental changes.
- •Practitioners could use such models in continuing education or client education to demonstrate how dental changes occur with age and why accurate aging requires examination of multiple dental features.
Key Findings
- •A 3D-printed equine incisor simulator successfully reproduced key age-estimation landmarks including infundibulum, dental star, Galvayne's groove, and pulp chamber.
- •The simulator accurately reflected age-related morphological changes from rectangular to trapezoidal to triangular occlusal surfaces.
- •The complete set of models required 41.1 hours to produce and cost only US$4.72 in materials, making it a practical low-cost educational tool.
- •The EAES has potential to improve veterinary student training in equine dental age estimation techniques.