Equine dentistry

[1] This was also practiced in ancient Greece, with many scholars making notes about equine dentistry, including Aristotle with an account of periodontal disease in horses in his History of Animals, and in Rome with Vegetius writing about equine dentistry in his manuscript "The Veterinary Art".

[2] The first veterinary dental school was founded in Lyon, France, in 1762 and created additional knowledge about dentistry in horses and other animals.

[3] There has been a long history of animosity between fully qualified vets and those lay people performing equine dentistry.

In the UK in the early 1990s, the veterinary profession engaged with lay practitioners to establish a formal system of examination and a register of qualified professionals.

[4] Whilst not compulsory, qualified persons were given an extended scope of practice for procedures normally reserved to vets.