Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Dental Welfare

Pig dental welfare is rarely considered but tooth problems and dental disease cause chronic pain that affects feeding and welfare.

Key Facts

Boar tusks grow continuously and can cause injuries
Tusk trimming is used in some breeding management programmes
Dental malocclusion can cause chronic pain and reduced feed intake
Pigs given hard rooting materials maintain better dental health
Broken teeth from chewing hard surfaces cause acute and chronic pain

Welfare Considerations

Dental problems in pigs cause chronic pain that reduces feed intake and welfare. Regular dental inspection and provision of appropriate chewable materials prevent many dental welfare problems.

What You Can Do

Support inclusion of dental welfare in pig health monitoring
Advocate for dental inspection training for stockpeople
Choose pork from farms with preventive dental health management