WSAVA revises dental guidelines for common oral diseases in pets

Dental, oral and maxillofacial diseases are the most common conditions seen in small animal veterinary practice, and they may cause not only significant pain but also infection. From that starting point, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) states that un- and undertreated oral and dental diseases pose a significant animal welfare concern. The revision of its global dental guidelines was published on 2 September 2026 in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.

The document acknowledges that dentistry is still an undertaught area of veterinary medicine and is therefore subject to many myths and misconceptions; effective teaching in the veterinary curriculum is identified as the key to progression of the discipline. The guidelines were created to give veterinarians the foundations to provide gold standard therapy while also defining realistic minimum standards of care. To do so, they use WSAVA's three-tiered continuing education system, based on the World Bank classification, and make global equipment and therapeutic recommendations, highlighting the anaesthetic and welfare requirements for patients.

The text covers common oral and dental diseases, basic diagnostic procedures and treatments, with sections on anaesthesia and pain management for dental procedures, home dental care, nutrition and the universities' role in improving teaching. A specific discussion is devoted to the deleterious effects of anaesthesia-free dentistry, described as ineffective at best and damaging at worst. The negative effects of undiagnosed or untreated dental disease are addressed as a welfare issue. Compared with the 2019 version, the revision reflects advances in diagnosis and treatment and includes new sections on trauma, the veterinary nurses' role, juvenile pathology, ergonomics and an extended section on radiographic interpretation.

Studies from the Royal Veterinary College's VetCompass programme give the measure of periodontal disease in UK primary care. In dogs, a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Small Animal Practice analysed a random sample of 22,333 animals under veterinary care in 2016 and found a 1-year prevalence of 12.52%. Eighteen breeds had increased odds compared with crossbreds, led by the Toy Poodle (odds ratio 3.97), King Charles Spaniel (2.63), Greyhound (2.58) and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (2.39); brachycephalic breeds had 1.25 times the odds of mesocephalic breeds, spaniel types 1.63 times the odds of non-spaniels, and increasing adult bodyweight was associated with progressively decreasing odds.

In cats, a 2023 study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, with a random sample of 18,249 animals from 1,255,130 under primary care in 2019, found a 1-year prevalence of 15.2%, with Siamese (18.7%) and Maine Coon (16.7%) among the most affected breeds. The median age of cats with periodontal disease was 9.47 years, versus 4.94 for the others; bodyweight, age and sex-neuter status were associated with rising odds. Cats with periodontal disease had more comorbidities (median 3 versus 1) and 1.79 times the odds of at least one other diagnosis. The authors conclude that periodontal disease is the most common specific diagnosis in cats and that ageing is the strongest predictor.

For practice, the set suggests a path: WSAVA offers what to do and at what resource level; the population studies indicate which patients to look at, with attention to predisposed breeds, small dogs and older cats. The full text of the guidelines is in the journal; this summary does not replace reading it or individual clinical assessment.