CHANGES IN SHAPE OF THE FIRST MOLAR IN HORSE: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Twenty-five edentate skull specimens were obtained from horses belonging to the ‘Catalan Pyrenean Horse’ breed, aged more than 8-12 months, and assessed by eruption of maxillary (M1): only M1 erupted (n=3), M1 and M2 erupted (n=4) and M3 (total molar series) erupted (n=18). Size and shape of occlusal surface of M1 were evaluated by means of geometric morphometric methods using 6 landmarks. No differences in size were observed between age groups, but shape differences appeared, mainly centred on the oral aspect. These results suggest that the occlusal outline pattern does not retain its overall shape during the horse's life.