Endodontic Treatment of a Traumatic Tusk Fracture With Exposed Pulp in an Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Tusk fracture in elephants is a common incident often resulting in pulp exposure and pulpitis. Extensive lavage, endodontic therapy, direct pulp capping, or extraction are treatment options. In this report, the successful management of a broken tusk of a juvenile male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) including morphological analysis of the tusk tip 2 years after surgery are presented. Treatment was carried out under barn conditions and included antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and partial pulpotomy with direct pulp capping. Immediate pain relief was reached. The fractured tusk was preserved and continued to grow. The therapeutic filling material remained intact for over 1 year but was absent 2 years after treatment. The former pulp cavity of the tusk tip was filled with reparative dentin, osteodentin, and bone, but the seal between these hard tissues and pulp chamber dentin was incomplete. Radiographs obtained 3 years after treatment showed no differences in pulp shape, pulp width, and secondary dentin formation between the treated right and the healthy left tusk. It can be concluded that in case of an emergency, the endodontic therapy of a broken elephant tusk can be attempted under improvised conditions with adequate success. Photodynamic therapy might contribute to prevent infection and inflammation of the pulp. The decision tree published by Steenkamp (2019) provides a valuable tool to make quick decisions regarding a suitable therapy of broken tusks. Tusk fracture in elephants is a common incident often resulting in pulp exposure and pulpitis. Extensive lavage, endodontic therapy, direct pulp capping, or extraction are treatment options. In this report, the successful management of a broken tusk of a juvenile male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) including morphological analysis of the tusk tip 2 years after surgery are presented. Treatment was carried out under barn conditions and included antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and partial pulpotomy with direct pulp capping. Immediate pain relief was reached. The fractured tusk was preserved and continued to grow. The therapeutic filling material remained intact for over 1 year but was absent 2 years after treatment. The former pulp cavity of the tusk tip was filled with reparative dentin, osteodentin, and bone, but the seal between these hard tissues and pulp chamber dentin was incomplete. Radiographs obtained 3 years after treatment showed no differences in pulp shape, pulp width, and secondary dentin formation between the treated right and the healthy left tusk. It can be concluded that in case of an emergency, the endodontic therapy of a broken elephant tusk can be attempted under improvised conditions with adequate success. Photodynamic therapy might contribute to prevent infection and inflammation of the pulp. The decision tree published by Steenkamp (2019) provides a valuable tool to make quick decisions regarding a suitable therapy of broken tusks.

Tierarzt Dr Matthias Seewald Kleintierpraxis Alpe
UMIT - Private Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien
Munich Zoo Hellabrunn
Tierpark Hellabrunn AG