Incidence of Dental Disease in Pets

Banfield's Applied Research and Knowledge team has released a new study showing that the risks for periodontal disease increase 20 percent each year of a pet’s life. Nearly four out of five dogs over the age of 3 years has dental disease. In our practice, 68 percent of cats and 78 percent of dogs over the age of 3 have oral disease, and that is usually periodontal disease.

They also confirmed the link between dental disease and heart disease, especially endocarditis and cardiomyopathy. The worse the periodontal disease was, the stronger the correlation appeared. Although dental disease is often perceived as not being all that significant to pets, this highlights the serious nature of the disease. Another factor pet owners often overlook is the degree of pain associated with dental disease. Because our dogs and cats don't exhibit easily detectable signs of pain, it is often misunderstood that periodontal disease does indeed cause pain.

If you ever wonder whether your pet has significant dental disease, please ask one of our veterinarians or licensed veterinary technicians. We don't want disease to go undetected, especially when we can correct it!

Steve McBride, DVM