Study measures force loads in equine cheek tooth extraction

Equine cheek tooth extraction just got a little less subjective. In a new Equine Veterinary Journal study published online June 10, 2026, Tom N. A. McGinley and Richard J. M. Reardon reported a method for directly measuring elevation forces during extraction, using strain gauges mounted on extraction forceps. In both cadaver specimens and live clinical cases, the team documented substantial force loads, with peaks reaching 4,640.4 N ex vivo and 2,851.8 N in live horses. (beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)

That matters because equine cheek tooth extraction is common, technically demanding, and not risk-free. Earlier studies have compared outcomes across extraction methods and found that complication rates vary by technique. Other long-term and complication-focused reports have described problems including alveolar sequestration, infection, fistulation, retained fragments, and the need for repeat intervention, especially in more difficult cases. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

In the new study, the investigators calibrated forceps to record force in Newtons during tooth elevation. They then used the setup in two cadaver experiments and in a convenience sample of clinical cases. In the oscillation-time cadaver group, elevation forces ranged from 406.7 to 4,640.4 N, and the median force did not differ significantly between 5-minute and 10-minute oscillation groups. In the coronectomy comparison, forces ranged from 332.5 to 4,015 N, and teeth that developed root fractures had significantly lower median extraction forces than teeth that did not. In live horses, forces ranged from 564.3 to 2,851.8 N, with significantly higher median forces for maxillary teeth than mandibular teeth. The authors also concluded that force varied with tooth position, horse age, and preparation technique, while noting that low case numbers limited statistical power. (madbarn.com)

The study is also notable for what it tries to solve methodologically. Until now, published equine dental literature has described extraction difficulty and complications, but not directly quantified the forces required to elevate cheek teeth from the alveolus. The authors cautioned that postmortem changes complicated ex vivo work and that lever mechanics, including fulcrum position and conversion of input force to elevatory force, may have affected precision. Even so, the paper provides a starting point for measuring a procedural variable that has mostly been judged by operator experience. (madbarn.com)

There does not yet appear to be substantial outside commentary tied specifically to this paper, but the broader literature supports its clinical relevance. A 2023 review on complications of equine cheek tooth extraction emphasized that the anatomy of reserve crown and roots can make exodontia challenging, particularly in younger horses, and earlier reports have stressed the importance of anticipating difficult extractions and managing complications promptly. More recent case series on sectioning and minimally invasive techniques likewise frame modern extraction practice as an effort to reduce trauma and avoid escalation when standard oral extraction becomes difficult. (beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)

Why it matters: For equine practitioners, this is less about a headline force number and more about decision-making. Objective force data could eventually help define what “difficult extraction” means, support safer training benchmarks, and guide when to move from routine oral extraction to adjunctive methods such as coronectomy, sectioning, or transbuccal approaches. It may also have implications for sedation planning, assistant safety, and equipment durability, especially in referral settings handling advanced dental cases. The finding that maxillary teeth required greater median force than mandibular teeth in live cases may be particularly useful when counseling pet parents about procedural complexity and risk. (madbarn.com)

The study’s limitations are important. Sample size was small, cadaver findings may not fully reflect live tissue behavior, and the measured force at the instrument does not perfectly capture every biomechanical variable at the tooth-alveolus interface. So this is best read as proof of concept plus an early clinical dataset, not a definitive force map for every extraction scenario. (madbarn.com)

What to watch: The next step will likely be larger prospective studies that link measured extraction force to outcomes such as root fracture, procedure time, post-operative pain, and complication rates, and whether those data shape instrument development or procedural guidelines. (madbarn.com)