Dental disease is the most common health problem diagnosed in dogs and cats, causing chronic pain that is often invisible to owners, with evidence-based prevention strategies widely underused.
Companion animal dental disease welfare is characterised by a large gap between disease prevalence and owner awareness. The majority of middle-aged and older cats and dogs have some degree of periodontal disease - infection and inflammation of the structures supporting teeth - that causes ongoing pain and discomfort that owners frequently do not recognise. Animals with dental pain often continue eating (hunger overrides pain) but may show subtle changes including preference for soft food, slower eating, and reluctance to have their mouth touched. The chronic low-grade pain of dental disease, experienced continuously over months or years, represents a significant quality of life burden. Prevention through tooth brushing is highly effective when performed correctly and consistently, but the low uptake among owners reflects the practical challenge of establishing the habit, particularly in animals not habituated to handling from an early age. Introducing toothbrushing to puppies and kittens is much easier than to adult animals. Professional dental cleaning under anaesthesia treats established disease but carries anaesthetic risk - prevention is superior both for welfare and for the animal's overall health.