Appendix 5. Dentition charts for selected Australian mammal Families
Beth Croce and Michael Lynch
Dentistry of Australian mammals is covered in Chapter 13. Dentition charts provide a means of recording and tracking dental health. They allow tooth loss and wear, tooth fractures, abnormal tooth orientation, periodontal disease and the depth of pockets surrounding each tooth as established by the use of a periodontal probe to be noted and recorded at the time of the examination.
The charts presented in this appendix represent a selection of Australian mammalian Families. The criteria for inclusion of any particular Family was based on an assessment by the authors of groups commonly held in human care and/or those more likely to present with dental disease. The charts were prepared following examination of skulls held by Melbourne Zoo or Museum Victoria. All were drawn from adult animals with permanent dentition. Where applicable, several different species within a Family were examined to establish the dental formula for the group. In these cases the representation of tooth morphology is generic to the group rather than representing an individual species.
