In this issue

Musk shrews (Suncus murinus) are often used as models in research. Because their diet includes insects, which are relatively abrasive, tooth wear is common. Early detection of dental lesions is therefore an important aspect of clinical care and necessary for the timely removal of affected shrews from the colony or research project. Dudley et al. sought a simpler method of identifying shrews with dental lesions, owing to the difficulty of handling and examining these animals in the research laboratory. The authors completed necropsy examinations in shrews to identify tooth loss, mobility and fractures and evaluated the relationships between the incidence of these lesions and sex, age, diet and body weight. The findings suggest that routine body weight monitoring of shrew colonies and performing oral examinations on those with low body weight, particularly older females, could improve early detection of dental lesions in shrews. See page 422