Survey of the provision of prophylactic dental care for horses in Great Britain and Ireland between 1999 and 2002.
Abstract: A survey of 854 horse owners, trainers and equestrian managers in 10 regions of Great Britain and Ireland showed that 83 per cent provided their horses with routine prophylactic dental care at fixed intervals, including 49 per cent at intervals of 12 months and 30 per cent at intervals of six months; a further 10 per cent provided it only when they felt it was required and 7 per cent did not provide it at all. Overall, 44 per cent of the owners had their horse's wolf teeth (first premolar) extracted routinely; when prophylactic dentistry was provided, it was carried out solely by equine dental technicians (EDTS) for 53 per cent of owners, solely by veterinarians for 35 per cent, by both EDTS or veterinarians for 10 per cent of owners and by other than veterinarians or EDTS for 1 per cent. There was confusion among some horse owners concerning the qualifications of the EDTS, because no recognised British qualification was available until towards the end of this survey in 2001. Several reasons were cited by owners for choosing between veterinarians and EDTS including their perceived qualifications, personal recommendations, costs, the availability of a wide range of dental equipment and sedation, and the time and effort devoted to the procedures.
Publication Date: 2004-12-21 PubMed ID: 15605535DOI: 10.1136/vr.155.22.693Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research article captures a survey on the maintenance and provision of preventative dental care for horses in Great Britain and Ireland between the years 1999 and 2002, illustrating the common procedures, frequency of care, and the personnel trusted for such responsibilities by horse owners, trainers, and equestrian managers.
Study Population and Main Findings
- 854 horse owners, trainers, and equestrian managers across 10 regions of Great Britain and Ireland were involved in the survey.
- The key findings suggested that 83% of the respondents arranged routine preventative dental care for their horses.
- Of these, 49% conducted this at annual intervals, 30% at bi-annual intervals, while 10% opted to do it only when they felt necessary. Interestingly, 7% did not provide such care at all.
Major dental Procedure Among Horse Owners
- Wolf teeth extraction was a common procedure, with 44% of owners routinely having their horse’s wolf teeth (first premolar) extracted.
Role of Equine Dental Technicians and Veterinarians
- When it came to providing prophylactic dentistry, equine dental technicians (EDTS) were the main service providers for 53% of the respondents.
- Veterinarians took the lead role for 35% of the horse owners.
- 10% of the owners split the responsibilities between EDTS and veterinarians, while 1% preferred other than EDTS or veterinarians.
Confusion Regarding Qualifications
- There was some confusion among horse owners over the qualifications of EDTS, as there wasn’t a recognised British qualification for them until towards the end of this survey in 2001.
Factors Influencing Choice of Service Provider
- Owners cited several reasons for their selection between veterinarians and EDTS for dental care provision.
- These included perceived qualifications, personal recommendations, costs, availability of comprehensive dental equipment and sedation, as well as the time and effort spent on the procedures by each provider.
Cite This Article
APA
Dixon PM, Andrew R, Brannon H, Burgess R, Gibson A, Little JC, Orange B, Ross L, Rudolph T, Shaw DJ.
(2004).
Survey of the provision of prophylactic dental care for horses in Great Britain and Ireland between 1999 and 2002.
Vet Rec, 155(22), 693-698.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.155.22.693 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Division of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Midlothian.
MeSH Terms
- Accreditation
- Animal Technicians
- Animals
- Dental Care / methods
- Dental Care / statistics & numerical data
- Dental Care / veterinary
- Dental Health Surveys
- Dental Prophylaxis / statistics & numerical data
- Dental Prophylaxis / veterinary
- Female
- Horses
- Ireland
- Male
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Time Factors
- United Kingdom
- Veterinary Medicine / methods
- Veterinary Medicine / statistics & numerical data
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Proost K, Pardon B, Pollaris E, Flahou T, Vlaminck L. Dental disease in alpacas. Part 1: Prevalence of dental disorders and their mutual relationships. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Mar;34(2):1028-1038.
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