Dental disease is the most common health condition in companion dogs and cats, causing chronic pain that is frequently unrecognized and untreated because animals mask discomfort and owners lack awareness.
Companion animal dental disease represents a hidden welfare crisis: millions of animals living with chronic oral pain that their owners do not recognize because the behavioral signs are subtle. Animals adapt to dental discomfort rather than stopping eating, so owners observe normal behavior and assume normal health. Veterinary dental assessments and professional cleanings under anesthesia are underutilized partly due to cost and partly due to misperceptions about anesthesia risk in healthy animals. Regular dental assessment integrated into wellness visits and broader owner education about dental health signs would substantially reduce the burden of preventable oral pain.