CVO Position on Veterinary Dentistry, 2008.

In 2008, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario published its Position Statement on Veterinary Dentistry. This is an important document as it makes clear a number of points:

Providing any level of oral/dental care falls within the realm of veterinary practice and, therefore, should only be done by, or under the direct supervision of, a veterinarian licensed to practice in Ontario.

Providing dental/oral care to dogs and cats must be done with the patient under a suitable level of general anesthesia with an inflated, cuffed endotracheal tube in place.

Only the license veterinarian can perform the detailed examination, arrive at a diagnosis, formulate an treatment plan and perform any of the necessary oral surgeries (including extractions). Suitably trained auxiliary staff may perform coronal scaling and polishing under supervision and the veterinarian must inspect the work to ensure it has been done properly.

While it might seem that such a statement would shut down AFD, the CVO has no direct jurisdiction over the activities of lay people who chose to engage in this. The CVO must investigate and prosecute each individual. This is a costly and lengthy processes and the results are not always what we would hope for as you will see in some of the other posts on this page.

Here is the full text of the 2008 CVO Position Statement on Veterinary Dentistry.

And here is a paper I wrote discussing its content and significance.