Equine dental disease causes significant chronic pain and reduced quality of life in horses — yet regular dental care remains inconsistently applied despite the welfare and performance benefits it provides.
Equine dental pain is systematically underrecognized. A horse that head-tilts when eating, drops quid, shows bit resistance, or loses weight is commonly managed with training interventions or diet changes rather than dental examination — despite dental pain being a primary cause of these behaviors. Horses have no way to indicate dental discomfort beyond behavioral signs that are frequently misattributed. Regular dental examinations with full mouth speculums and mirrors allow detection of sharp points, periodontal disease, fractured teeth, and food pocketing before these progress to significant pain. Treatment — floating, extraction, and periodontal management — reliably improves food intake, behavior, and weight. Annual dental care is the minimum; senior horses and horses with known problems require biannual examination.