Dental disease is the most common health problem in companion animals, yet prevention through regular home care significantly reduces the welfare burden of oral disease.
Companion animal dental disease represents the most widespread and preventable chronic pain condition in the pet population. Most adult cats and dogs are experiencing some degree of oral pain daily — pain that owners routinely miss because animals continue eating, playing, and behaving normally despite significant dental disease. The systemic effects of untreated periodontal disease — chronic bacteremia affecting organ function — extend the welfare impact beyond the mouth. Daily tooth brushing prevention is effective but requires owner commitment that many cannot maintain, creating a population-level gap between what is achievable and what is practiced. Professional dental cleaning under anesthesia with full-mouth radiography detects and treats disease that brushing alone cannot prevent. Making dental care a routine annual priority — rather than a response to visible dental disease — would dramatically reduce the chronic pain burden in companion animal populations.