Dental disease affects the majority of adult cats and causes significant chronic pain that is frequently unrecognized and untreated, representing a major welfare opportunity.
Feline dental welfare represents one of the most significant and most neglected areas of companion animal care. The combination of high disease prevalence, effective pain concealment and owner unawareness creates a situation where millions of cats live with chronic dental pain that goes unaddressed. Tooth resorption in particular causes severe pain as the tooth structure is progressively destroyed, yet cats continue to eat despite this pain, masking the severity of the condition. Systematic veterinary dental assessment including oral radiography, combined with owner education about prevention and pain recognition, can dramatically improve welfare outcomes for the large population of cats with undiagnosed dental disease.