Dental disease affects the majority of adult dogs and causes chronic pain that significantly impacts quality of life, yet remains one of the most preventable welfare problems in veterinary medicine.
Dental disease is a welfare problem hiding in plain sight - millions of dogs suffer chronic oral pain that their owners and sometimes vets do not recognize because dogs continue eating and playing despite significant discomfort. The stoicism of dogs in the face of dental pain means advanced disease is routinely discovered only at veterinary examination. Extractions of severely affected teeth typically result in dramatic behavioral improvement - dogs that appeared normal were actually experiencing significant pain that is retrospectively apparent from their post-surgical behavior change. The prevalence of dental disease in companion dogs represents a massive preventable welfare burden that could be substantially reduced through owner education and routine preventive care.