Frequencies of oral pathologies in a sample of 767 non-human primates

In this work 767 skulls of both wild caught and captive non-human primates were studied and the following characteristics were analyzed: frequency of caries and osteolytic phenomena, presence of apical or radicular cysts, degree of bone atrophy and parodontal tissue alterations, neoplasies, supernumerary teeth, and cusps. Caries and osteolytic phenomena were more frequent in captive animals because of their “anthropic” diet, while frequency of dental fractures was higher in wild primates because of their higher environmental stress. The most frequent pathologies observed in non-human primates were tartar, parodontopathies, and condylar wear, while caries and osteolytic phenomena were minimal. Condylar wear was very frequent but not very marked and possibly due to “physiological” responses and not, as in humans, to a force unbalance which occurs in masticatory dynamics of the temporomandibular joint.