A recent survey found that 50% of final year veterinary students in the UK don't feel confident discussing dental problems or doing oral cavity examinations of small pets.

Most vets just dread the idea of seriously discussing feline dental procedures.

UK veterinarians Rachel Perry and Elise Robertson have taken it upon thenselves to plug this educational and fee gap and have coordinated a ground-breaking two-part special issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery devoted to feline dentistry.

They recruited a pool of international leaders in the cat dentistry, maxillofacial surgery, medicine and anesthesia to help fellow vets provide 'gold standard' dental care for feline patients. The articles are illustrated so vets can hang them on the wall in the waiting room, and supported with video and other online resources, including a feline dental chart. 

The journal:

• describes a systematic approach to comprehensive oral examination in the cat;

• reviews the basics of taking and interpreting the intraoral radiographs that are so critical for proper diagnosis and therapy;
• presents a step-by-step photographic guide to familiarize the practitioner with feline oral anatomy and tooth extraction techniques;
•  discusses best practice principles for ensuring a rapid return to a functional, pain- and inflammation-free occlusion for cats with traumatic dentoalveolar injuries.

•  systematically outlines the nature of feline malocclusions typically seen in practice; 

• address periodontal disease and tooth resorption, the two most common orodental complaints seen in practice;
•  take a close look at the anaesthetic and analgesic protocol, an often-neglected aspect of feline dentistry.