Equine oral health has been important since horses were domesticated. It makes sense as mouths hold bits, which help make them the great work and pleasure animals they can be. Humans have worked on horse teeth since 1150 B.C.
Today’s scientific understanding of the way horses’ mouths work benefits horses and riders. Wayne Needham, Amarillo Texas, president of the International Association of Equine Dentistry; Mike Lawrence, Campbellville, Ontario, Canada, IAED vice president; and Kimm Bakker, a Netherlands veterinarian, share updates about the profession in this brief article.
Human husbandry — feeding horses things like grain, limiting roughage — causes the need for intervention.”
Source: The New York Times, August 27 4, 2025. Link. “But today, with a scientific understanding of the subtle ways horse teeth grow, change and affect the animal’s overall health, equine dentistry has evolved, and the old tools of a rasp and a pair of pliers.”