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The permanent dentition of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) comprises 30–32 teeth with the following dental formula: I 0/3, C 0/(1), P 3/3, M 3/3. Variations in tooth number and shape are rather uncommon in this species and factors determining roe deer dentition are considered to be quite stable. In both upper and lower jaws the first premolar is normally missing, but can be occasionally observed. To discover the frequency of P1 in the whole population, its occurrence was studied in the left hemi-mandibles of the total one-year (2007) roe deer mortality in Slovenia, representing a large sample set of 41,895 individuals. The first premolar was detected in only 27 individuals (13 males, 12 females, 2 without data), indicating that its occurrence is very low and sporadic (0.6‰). Furthermore, the results of previous archaeozoological and embryological studies were analyzed. On the basis of observed facts, we conclude that the first mandibular premolars of roe deer belong to a category of tooth that has been suppressed in the evolution of the Cervidae. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mandibular osteomyelitis in free-ranging cervids is a rare, but eventually fatal, disease. We examined 41,895 defleshed mandibles of roe deer collected throughout Slovenia in 2007. Mandibles from 14,679 fawns had no signs of osteomyelitis, and were excluded from further analysis. Of the remaining 27,216 specimens, chronic osteomyelitis ("lumpy jaw") was found in 113 mandibles (4.2%; 7.0% of adults). The majority of cases were observed from the Mediterranean and subalpine regions, near larger cities and thermal power plants. There was no statistically significant correlation between severity of the mandibular osteomyelitis and body weight. Females were more frequently affected than males. Coarse and abrasive food, and to some extent dental fluorosis, are the most probable triggers for development of lesions.