Dentigerous cyst in a South African fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus)

Abstract

The dental pathology of pinnipeds has been well studied with periodontal disease the most common dental pathology accounting for 19.4–91.8 per cent of all dental pathologies. An eight-month-old stranded South African fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) was rescued from the south coast of South Africa; during his rehabilitation process his handlers noticed the absence of his left maxillary canine tooth (204). Eleven years later, during a health examination, the veterinarian upon closed examination could visualise approximately 5 mm of a tooth crown in the area where tooth 204 should have been. A presumed diagnosis of a dentigerous cyst was made based on the radiological findings. Surgery was performed to surgically extract 204 and enucleate the cyst lining. The histological analysis of the enucleated cyst lining confirmed the first reported case of a dentigerous cyst in a marine mammal.