Oral endoscopy augments commonly used examination techniques and provides a detailed, magnified viewing of dental and soft tissue structures in the mouth. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Cleet Griffin

If your veterinarian needs to take a look inside your horse’s airway, lungs, or even stomach, he or she will likely reach for an endoscope—a long, flexible tube with a light source at one end and a viewing scope at the other. But did you know they might reach for this versatile device during dental exams, as well?

At the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Cleet Griffin, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, a clinical assistant professor in the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, described how veterinarians can use endoscopy during dental procedures.

“Accurate identification and documentation of pathology is very important for dental treatment planning,” Griffin said. And while it’s not difficult to visualize structures such as the interdental space, the canine teeth, and incisors due to their location within the mouth, structures located near the back of the mouth are decidedly more difficult to evaluate, he said