Equine dental disease causes significant chronic pain that affects eating, behaviour and performance - regular dental examination by a qualified equine dental technician or vet is essential welfare practice.
Horse dental welfare is frequently neglected due to the difficulty of observing dental problems from outside the mouth. Horses in pain from sharp dental points or hooks reduce feed intake, chew abnormally and suffer nutritional consequences. Behavioural problems attributed to training or temperament are often actually dental pain responses. Regular prophylactic dental care prevents the development of significant dental disease in most horses. The 6-12 month examination interval is the welfare standard - horses left for 2+ years between examinations commonly develop preventable dental pathology. Owner education about dental pain signs enables earlier identification of problems between scheduled examinations.