91  Accuracy of a computerized horse aging program

• Published in: Journal of equine veterinary science Vol. 100; p. 103554
• Main Authors: Starrett, A., Suagee-Bedore, J.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Age Prediction; Mobile Application; Mobile Application; Age Prediction
• ISSN: 0737-0806; 1542-7412
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103554

Aging horses through dental evaluation has many applications. Typically, users view the occlusal surface of the incisors to evaluate the appearance and disappearance of cups and rings. When the structure of the cup becomes smaller than half the surface of the tooth and the dental star appears, the cups are considered worn. The cups start wearing on the middle incisor teeth first and then laterally until all cups are worn on incisors. A similar pattern then repeats the process with rings. The ring is a characteristic found at the very bottom of the cup. It disappears on the central incisors and then proceeds laterally until all rings disappear. Recently, a Computerized Horse Aging Program (CHAP) app was developed for use on a mobile platform. The app uses the camera on a mobile device to capture the occlusal surface of the incisor teeth. The app will provide a 2-year age range based upon the cup system analysis. The cups are detected by computer vision, then analyzed through artificial intelligence, and compared with a database of horses with known age. The objective of this study was to determine whether CHAP could accurately predict horse ages. One hundred and 2 registered horses were used for this study. Images of both the upper and lower incisor teeth were captured and uploaded to CHAP. Estimated ages were compared with actual ages using Bland Altman agreement analysis and the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS v 9.4), to determine whether the difference between predicted and actual (residual) age was different from 0. CHAP could accurately predict age using upper incisors in horses between 8 and 13, while lower incisors were accurate between 8 and 10 years (Table 1). Age prediction in horses greater than 14 years and less than 8 years was not accurate. Older horses have consumed a variety of feeds throughout their lifetimes which can influence age prediction. Further, our data set included fewer horses of these ages. CHAP is recommended for use on younger horses and users should take upper and lower teeth into consideration.