Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb
Abstract
Skulls (N = 34) of gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Croatia were examined for acquired pathological changes of teeth. Skulls originated from wolves which had died due to various reasons in Croatia between 1997 and 2006. Age of examined animals ranged from 7 months to 8.5 years. Three skulls (8.9%) had pathological changes of teeth or alveolar bone. All dentitions with pathological changes belonged to females older than 2 years. Periodontitis, with changes in the alveolar bone, was determined on the alveolus of lower fourth premolar (P4) in two individuals and on the alveolus of the mandibular first molar (M1) in one specimen. A complicated crown-root fracture was found in two individuals. All caries lesions were found on premolars and molars. Caries was found on the upper jaw in one animal and on the lower jaw of another animal, while a third animal had it on both jaws. Pathological changes in the dentition of wolves in Croatia have not been previously recorded in Croatia. Data on pathological changes of wolves’ teeth contribute to the knowledge of biology and health of this species, especially on factors limiting longevity.Pregledane su 34 lubanje sivoga vuka (Canis lupus) i opisane stečene patološke promjene na zubima. Lubanje su potjecale od vukova koji su zbog različitih razloga stradali u Hrvatskoj od 1997. do 2006. godine. Dob tih vukova kretala se u rasponu od sedam mjeseci do osam i pol godina. Patološke promjene na alveolarnoj kosti zabilježene su na zubalima triju lubanja, odnosno na 8,8% pregledanih lubanja. Sve lubanje na čijim su zubalima nađene patološke promjene pripadale su ženkama starijima od dvije godine. U dvije jedinke opisan je periodontitis s promjenama u alveolarnoj kosti donjega četvrtoga pretkutnjaka (P4), a u jedne na gornjem prvom kutnjaku (M1). Potpuna fraktura zuba opisana je u dvije jedinke. U sve tri jedinke na pretkutnjacima i kutnjacima bio je prisutan i karijes i to na zubima gornje čeljusti kod jedne, donje čeljusti kod druge, a kod treće na zubima donje i gornje čeljusti. U hrvatskoj literaturi dosad nisu opisane patološke promjene na zubalu u ove vrste velike zvijeri. Podatci o patološkim promjenama na vučjim zubima pridonose boljem poznavanju biologije, osobito čimbenika koji utječu na životni vijek ove vrste
