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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.

Roe deer antlers/mandibles are a useful tool for determination of ambient fluoride pollution. Antlers have a well-defined annual cycle of growth, therefore they represent a natural standardisation of samples during winter months. On the contrary, mandibles accumulate fluorides during the whole life of an organism, thus they reflect aggregated effect of fluoride pollution trough the life-span of an organism. Both tissues are easily available; mandibles are often systematically collected with the purpose of cognitive management and control, and antlers could be gathered from private well-dated hunters' collections. Considering these benefits, fluoride contents were measured in 141 antlers (period 1960-2007) and 220 mandibles (period 1997-2009) of roe deer, shot in the vicinity of the largest Slovene Thermal Power Plant of Šoštanj (ŠTPP) as one of the major sources of fluorides in Slovenia. Fluoride contents in antlers significantly differed among age categories, and ranged from 110 to 1210 mg/kg in yearlings, 130 to 2340 mg/kg in young adults, and 250 to 2590 mg/kg in older adults, respectively. Fluoride levels in mandibles were also significantly different among age categories, and ranged from 30.0 to 227 mg/kg in fawns, 33.8 to 383 mg/kg in yearlings, and 61.5 to 1020 mg/kg in adults, respectively. Comparison of these results with previously reported fluoride contents in antlers and mandibles of roe deer from different areas of Europe revealed that the study area has never been extensively contaminated with fluorides. Moreover, trends of fluoride contents in both tissues confirmed a significant decrease of fluoride pollution in the area after the years 1995 and 2000, when flue-gas cleaning devices were constructed on the ŠTPP. Indeed, highly positive correlations between annual emissions from the ŠTPP and mean annual fluoride contents in antlers/mandibles confirmed that both tissues may be a useful tool for assessing temporal trends in ambient fluoride pollution., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)