Dental disease in horses is a major but underrecognised welfare issue — sharp enamel points, wave mouth, and periodontal disease cause chronic oral pain that impairs feeding and performance.
Horses with unmanaged dental disease experience chronic pain during feeding, causing reluctance to eat hard feeds, weight loss, and behaviour changes. Sharp enamel points lacerate the cheeks and tongue during chewing — injuries that may go undetected for months. Hook and ramp formation on cheek teeth prevents normal jaw movement causing temporomandibular dysfunction and secondary poll and neck pain. Horses with dental pain that are ridden in bitted bridles experience additional mouth pain on every contact with the bit. Regular dental care prevents the accumulation of secondary problems that become increasingly complex and expensive to resolve.