Already in the late 19th century, Edward Angle proposed a classification system for malocclusion in humans.Subsequently the evolution of treatment in humans has followed awave pattern, with extremes ranging from not treating malocclusions at all to treating every malocclusion in an attempt to achieve a perfect neutral occlusion. In horses, the number of studies focusing on occlusal patterns or types of malocclusions in cheek teeth is limited. The authors propose a similar classification system for equines as described by Angle for human dentition. To identify a dentition as a specific malocclusion, three primary areas of interest were determined: the region of the Triadan 06s, the region of the 11s, and the region of the 08-09s. A Class II malocclusion, or postnormal occlusion, was encountered predominantly in larger warmbloods. Typically, these horses had a dominant upper 06 and lower 11. The occlusal pattern followed a wave pattern, with a more dominant lower 08-09 and an upper 10. Class III malocclusions were more frequently observed in smaller, more robust breeds (e.g., IrishCobs, Spanish breeds, Shetland ponies). A prenormal occlusion typically consists of a dominant lower 06 and upper 11, with an inverse wave pattern compared to the postnormal occlusion(more dominant upper 08-09 and lower 10).This hypothesis is a simplification of reality, as several mixed types of occlusions do exist.

However, it represents the first step toward a more conservative approach to equine occlusion. It abandons the idea that every dentition mustlook the same and that the goal should always be to achieve a neutral occlusion. The Class I, II and III occlusion describes basically the sagital relation in between the maxilla and the ”mobile” mandible. As a consequence the transvers relation in between the jaws will be affected. Once a horse’s dentition has matured, a Class II or IIImalocclusion will not be significantly altered by floating. Therefore, aggressive measures to obtain a perfect occlusal pattern may not be beneficial to the horse and may not be necessary.