Dental problems are extremely common in horses and cause significant pain and feeding difficulties — yet equine dentistry remains an area where welfare standards and access to care vary widely.
Dental pain in horses is one of the most commonly missed welfare problems in equine practice. Horses with significant dental disease may show only subtle signs — slight reluctance to eat hard feeds, minor behaviour changes — that owners attribute to other causes. The mouth is difficult to examine without specialist equipment and often sedation, so owners may not realise the extent of problems developing. Horses that go years without dental attention may develop severe malocclusion, mouth ulcers, and weight loss before the problem is recognised. Annual veterinary dental examinations, not merely routine floating by lay practitioners, are the welfare standard that protects horses from unnecessary oral pain.