What to do about canine dental health is one of the hottest topics in accessible veterinary care today. While everyone agrees that all dogs would benefit from regular dental procedures, the cost of dental care (including digital dental radiography) is well beyond the reach of many pet owners. Many shelter and community clinics provide some dental care to patients but often do so with guilt and conflict about not being able to provide the extensive care needed (or even worry about practicing below the perceived standard of care).
In this webinar, we will present results from an ASPCA-funded study that investigated the impact of dental cleaning on the quality of life of canine patients. Additionally, we investigated how an empirical treatment plan (pulling any obvious loose or severely diseased teeth) compared to recommendations made from a blinded radiograph review. Finally, we documented the incidence of retained roots for dogs who had extractions and followed these dogs forward in time for 6 months. This project aimed to answer the question of whether or not providing some care was better than providing no care for patients with end-stage canine dental disease. As many dogs ideally need dental procedures as often as every year, it is essential to come up with an affordable approach.
Takeaways
- Understand current controversies around canine dental care.
- Be able to describe strategies to make dentistry procedures more efficient.
- Discuss improving communication around dental care using spectrum of care approaches.
Credits
This program has been RACE approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
