Veterinary dentistry: a clinician's viewpoint

Veterinary dentistry has come a long way over the last few decades. This is because veterinarians have become more interested in what is happening in their patients' mouths with an increasing awareness of systemic effects of dental and oral diseases. There has also been an increasing availability of suitable products and instruments to deal with the problems encountered. Also clients, the owners of the animals presented, are more aware of what can be done and demand a more conservative approach rather than just accepting that extraction is the only option.

Horses' teeth have always played an important part in their management and welfare. If a horse cannot eat properly, or is quidding (dropping food out of its mouth while eating), for example, it would soon lose condition and be less efficient as a work horse. The horse has had an important place in society at all levels and also as a war animal. Dentition of equines is also used as a method of ageing them for purposes of insurance and selling. It is calculated by the shape of the tooth, the appearance of various grooves and ‘spurs’ on the teeth, as is the wear on the occlusal surfaces.