Dental disease is among the most common and underrecognised welfare problems in horses. Regular equine dental examination and treatment by a qualified professional is fundamental to horse welfare and is often delayed or neglected.
Equine dental welfare is an area where significant chronic pain is accepted as normal because horses do not obviously stop eating despite significant oral pathology. Sharp enamel points cause ulcers on the inside of the cheeks and tongue, diastema traps food causing chronic infection and pain, and wave mouth creates uneven wear that affects chewing efficiency — but horses continue presenting to their food and eating sufficiently to survive, masking the chronic discomfort from owners who are watching for dramatic behavioural change. Regular dental examination by a qualified equine dental technician or vet reveals these conditions and rasping sharp points or treating diastema provides measurable pain relief. The six to twelve month dental cycle is not a bureaucratic recommendation — it is the minimum interval at which equine dental pathology reliably develops to the point of causing welfare harm without treatment.