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News & Reports EQUINE DENTISTRY
BEVA seeks to dispel confusion about equine dental procedures A NEW information leaflet explaining the regulations surrounding equine dental care has been produced by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) in response to a recent poll of its members, which indicated that more than half were unaware of what tasks can be delegated to suitably qualified equine dental technicians (EDTs) and what level of veterinary supervision is needed. BEVA points out that all diagnostic and treatment procedures in a horse’s mouth are ‘acts of veterinary surgery’ under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. The only exception is the manual removal of small dental overgrowths and sharp enamel points with hand instruments. However, it is acknowledged that there are a limited number of procedures that can be delegated safely to suitably qualified EDTs without compromising the horse’s welfare and safety. In 2009, BEVA collaborated with the British Veterinary Dental Association, the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians
(BAEDT) and the RCVS to categorises all dental procedures into three groups: n Category 1: procedures that are not acts of veterinary surgery; for example, examination of teeth and removal of loose deciduous caps. n Category 2: procedures that are acts of veterinary surgery, but which can safely be delegated to suitably qualified EDTs; for example, the removal of loose teeth or dental fragments with negligible periodontal attachments. n Category 3: procedures that are acts of veterinary surgery and cannot be safely delegated to non-veterinarians. By default, this category includes all new procedures. BEVA notes that, although there is no legal basis to support non-vets in performing category 2 procedures, the RCVS has said that there is no public interest in prosecuting vets who collaborate with suitably qualified EDTs to perform non-invasive (category 1 and 2) procedures.
BEVA recommends that all vets who deal with horses should be familiar with category 1 and 2 procedures; should ensure they know that any EDT they deal with is qualified for category 2 procedures; and should report instances of non-vets supplying oral sedatives or other prescription-only drugs to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. ‘The lack of awareness is alarming and clearly emphasises the need to make vets and equine dental technicians fully conscious of current regulations regarding equine dentistry,’ said Vicki Nicholls, chair of BEVA council’s paraprofessional committee and a member of the BAEDT. ‘Non-adherence to the regulations is a serious matter and could lead to prosecution of the veterinary surgeon, EDT and/or owner.’ The leaflet can be downloaded from the BEVA website at www.beva.org. uk/_uploads/documents/current-regulationson-equine-dental-procedures.pdf doi: 10.1136/vr.g6313
October 25, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 393
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 8, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
BEVA seeks to dispel confusion about equine dental procedures Veterinary Record 2014 175: 393
doi: 10.1136/vr.g6313 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/16/393.2
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To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports EQUINE DENTISTRY
BEVA seeks to dispel confusion about equine dental procedures A NEW information leaflet explaining the regulations surrounding equine dental care has been produced by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) in response to a recent poll of its members, which indicated that more than half were unaware of what tasks can be delegated to suitably qualified equine dental technicians (EDTs) and what level of veterinary supervision is needed. BEVA points out that all diagnostic and treatment procedures in a horse’s mouth are ‘acts of veterinary surgery’ under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. The only exception is the manual removal of small dental overgrowths and sharp enamel points with hand instruments. However, it is acknowledged that there are a limited number of procedures that can be delegated safely to suitably qualified EDTs without compromising the horse’s welfare and safety. In 2009, BEVA collaborated with the British Veterinary Dental Association, the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians
(BAEDT) and the RCVS to categorises all dental procedures into three groups: n Category 1: procedures that are not acts of veterinary surgery; for example, examination of teeth and removal of loose deciduous caps. n Category 2: procedures that are acts of veterinary surgery, but which can safely be delegated to suitably qualified EDTs; for example, the removal of loose teeth or dental fragments with negligible periodontal attachments. n Category 3: procedures that are acts of veterinary surgery and cannot be safely delegated to non-veterinarians. By default, this category includes all new procedures. BEVA notes that, although there is no legal basis to support non-vets in performing category 2 procedures, the RCVS has said that there is no public interest in prosecuting vets who collaborate with suitably qualified EDTs to perform non-invasive (category 1 and 2) procedures.
BEVA recommends that all vets who deal with horses should be familiar with category 1 and 2 procedures; should ensure they know that any EDT they deal with is qualified for category 2 procedures; and should report instances of non-vets supplying oral sedatives or other prescription-only drugs to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. ‘The lack of awareness is alarming and clearly emphasises the need to make vets and equine dental technicians fully conscious of current regulations regarding equine dentistry,’ said Vicki Nicholls, chair of BEVA council’s paraprofessional committee and a member of the BAEDT. ‘Non-adherence to the regulations is a serious matter and could lead to prosecution of the veterinary surgeon, EDT and/or owner.’ The leaflet can be downloaded from the BEVA website at www.beva.org. uk/_uploads/documents/current-regulationson-equine-dental-procedures.pdf doi: 10.1136/vr.g6313
October 25, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 393
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 8, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
BEVA seeks to dispel confusion about equine dental procedures Veterinary Record 2014 175: 393
doi: 10.1136/vr.g6313 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/16/393.2
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
