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By Joost Philippa

Gorilla Doctors provides veterinary support to the primate sanctuary (CRPL) in Lwiro, DRC. On a recent visit, I noticed that one of the baboons, Shumbi, had a swelling below his eye, along with some discharge. That could be a sign of a tooth abscess. Upon further observation, I noticed that his teeth were in bad shape, with several fractured and infected canines. This can be a painful condition, so I planned a return visit in order to bring dental instruments so that we could relieve the discomfort. Itsaso Vélez del Burgo Guinea, CRPL’s Technical Director, told me that Sakina, a chimpanzee, also had a swelling under her lip.

So last week I returned to CRPL with my dental instruments and the gas anesthesia machine to take care of Shumbi and Sakina. Throughout the day Dr. Masunga and the experienced and enthusiastic caregivers Thomas, Simon, and Claude assisted me.

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We sedated Sakina by feeding her some honey laced with sedatives, and examined her first. Permanent canines in chimpanzees emerge between 8-10 years of age, which is Sakina’s estimated age. Her adult upper-right canine tooth was emerging from the gums at an abnormal angle. The root of her other canine, still a baby tooth, had broken and become rotten and was now obstructing the way for emergence of the adult canine. This was the cause of the chronic swelling we had previously observed.

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We also saw that two of her incisor baby teeth on her upper-right had fractured and remnants were obstructing the way for the new incisors to come in. Under anesthesia, we removed the tooth fragments and cleaned the area , providing plenty of space for the new teeth.

Shumbi was next. He came to CRPL in 2008 after having been shot by a drunk soldier. At the time, he was a well-known character at the local market, where, despite having only one arm, was known for his brave antics to nab fresh fruit and vegetables.

Three of his canines were broken around the gum line and they were severely infected, as were numerous incisors. All of these fractured and infected teeth needed to be removed, which can take a lot of time. Luckily we had several great assistants willing to help with the procedures.

The next morning it was great to see both Sakina and Shumbi happily chewing on some soft fruit – they will be eating a soft diet for a few days, after which they will be back to normal, without the discomfort caused by those fractured, infected teeth.

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