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ePaper created 2016-05-18, 11:28:18 | version 1.38.0
30 roots 2 2016 Tooth ache is hard to bear Author: Annika Keilhauer, Germany Normally polar bears seem to have an unshakeable constitution:movingacrosssnow,iceandopenwater to hunt for food the endangered species endures extreme conditions. A necrotic pulp nonetheless is intolerable for both humans and those magnificent animals.Lars,fathertotheworld’smostfamouspolar bearcubKnut,recentlyunderwentsurgeryinAalborg Zoo to treat some serious endodontic problems. RCTs rank among the not quite so popular dental treatments for both patients and general dentists. Sometimes patients literally have to be carried to the surgerylikeLars,afull-grownpolarbearthatwassuf- fering from two inflamed fangs due to complicated crownfractures.Inordertogetthebearreadyforthe comparatively risky endeavour, it took ten people to lifttheanaesthetisedanimalontotheoperatingtable. However,theteamofveterinarydentalspecialistsen- countered even more challenges: the affected root canals were extremely long and curved making the RCTmorechallenging.Thetraumatatotheteethwere estimatedtohavetakenplacesometimeagoandthe pulp tissue was expected to be necrotic. Unusual circumstances The patient in this case report is by far not un- known to the public: Twenty-one-year-old polar bearLarswasbornincaptivityinHellabrunnZooand lived in various other German zoos. In 2006 he fa- theredapolarbearcubthatrosetoabsolutecelebrity status—little Knut turned into an international me- dia phenomenon and generated a lot of interest in captive polar bears and animal welfare in general. Sincethebeginningof2015,LarslivesinAalborgZoo inDenmark.PeoplestillcareaboutKnut’sfamilyand their fate. Several Danish TV stations and newspa- pers came to report on the treatment of the zoo’s wildly popular inhabitant, who even sports his own private fan club. Anaesthesia To anaesthetise the polar bear it was first darted withstrongsedativesbythezoo’sveterinarianTrine Hammer Jensen. After ten minutes the animal was ready to be transported to the operating area. For | feature unusual endodontic treatment 22016