engleski

Presence and frequency of different lesions and anomalies of wild boar (Sus scrofa) mandibles in Slovenia

In Slovenia, mandibles of all ungulates shot or found dead have to be collected for the purpose of wildlife management. These mandibles can provide useful information on ecological status of populations, including presence, distribution, frequency and severity of some anomalies, affections or injuries of jaws/teeth. All of them can lead to the dysfunction of the chewing system and might have a negative influence on the health status of a single animal or even on the viability of populations. Moreover, insights into the presence and distribution of some of anomalies may also be very interesting for understanding of the evolutionary development of wild ungulates. In 2008, more than 10, 000 mandibles of wild boar, shot in entire Slovenia, were collected. For the purpose of this preliminary study mandibles (all age categories, both sexes) from seven hunting districts of Slovenia were analyzed. Assessment of spatial distribution and prevalence of several different anomalies/lesions, such as enamel hypoplasia, presence/absence of the first premolar (P1) or any other supernumerary tooth, hypodontia, tooth rotation, deformation or discoloration of the tooth, bone fractures or deformations, and malocclusion, was carried out. Presence and the distribution of these affections have generally dispersed (random) pattern in Slovenia, and are usually not affected by any parameter or habitat quality. The only lesion, which occurs in relatively high number throughout Slovenia, but with a clear tendency of grouping in particular hunting grounds/regions, is enamel hypoplasia. Enamel hypoplasia is a defect/lesion in tooth enamel that results in less quantity of enamel than normal and is demonstrated as a rough, pitted surface of a tooth. It can occur either on a single tooth or on multiple teeth. It can be a result of both genetic disorders and environmental factors that interfere with tooth formation, i.e. trauma to the teeth and jaws, infections during pregnancy or infancy, poor pre-natal and post-natal nutrition, hypoxia, exposure to toxic substances and a variety of hereditary disorders. Both factors influence the presence of enamel hypoplasia also in wild boar population in Slovenia ; indeed, distribution of hypoplasia shows tendency of grouping in cohorts (family groups) with the same genetic disposition and same environment. The influence of habitat on the presence and severity of enamel hypoplasia has previously already been found in the case of Slovene roe deer population (e.g. very obvious ‘’hot spots’’ of these lesions in humid habitats close to main Slovene rivers), which demonstrates that environmental stressors prevail against genetic ones. However, some further attempts are needed to provide clear insight into cause-response relation between habitat quality/characteristics and the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in wild boar populations.

wild boar; mandibles; teeth; anomalies

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