The WSAVA Podcast

In this episode of the WSAVA Podcast, the focus turns to the vital role of veterinary nurses and technicians in strengthening dental care in everyday practice. Two conversations explore how the wider veterinary team can improve outcomes through better instrumentation, workflow, client communication, and home care support. 
First, Maggie Burley speaks with Mary Berg about building a practical dental toolkit and using instruments safely and effectively. Mary highlights core tools for periodontal assessment and cleaning, including probing, subgingival instrumentation, and the importance of visibility. She also discusses sterilisation, sharpening, and instrument care, emphasising that consistent standards and good ergonomics support both patient safety and long-term team performance. 
In the second conversation, Marcela Perez-de-Tudela is joined by Stephanie Johnson to discuss how technicians can help clients succeed with dental home care. Stephanie shares step-by-step strategies for introducing toothbrushing, keeping experiences positive, and recognising early warning signs that warrant veterinary assessment. She also discusses how to guide owners toward validated dental products and why regular oral exams, imaging, and tailored plans remain important even when home care is excellent. 
Together, these conversations highlight how strong dental programmes are built by the whole team, combining practical skills in-clinic with effective support for owners at home. 
Resources & Links
WSAVA Global Dental Committee
WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines  
WSAVA Educational Resources  
Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) 

Contributors
Mary L Berg, BS, LATG, RVT, VTS (Dent) – LinkedIn | Instagram | Website 
Maggie Burley, RVN, Dip VN (Dental), VTS (Dentistry), TAE - LinkedIn | Instagram
Stephanie Johnson, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia), (Dentistry) – TikTok
Marcela Perez-de-Tudela MV, MSc - LinkedIn | Instagram 
Click here for the full transcript

This podcast was edited and produced by Contento Media Ltd.

In this episode of the WSAVA Podcast, interviewer Cedric Tutt explores dental care at both ends of a patient’s life, from early intervention in puppies to the challenges and opportunities of dentistry in senior pets.
First, John Lewis discusses paediatric dental problems that benefit from early action, including fractured deciduous teeth and persistent deciduous teeth. He explains why fractured deciduous teeth can matter even when puppies appear comfortable, and why infection risk and impact on developing adult teeth should not be underestimated. 
Later in the episode, Heidi Lobprise turns to dentistry in older cats and dogs. She discusses why age alone should not rule out dental treatment, and how careful assessment, monitoring, and planning can reduce anaesthetic risk while improving quality of life. She also explores common senior presentations, including severe periodontal disease, chronic oral inflammation, and conditions such as “rubber jaw,” as well as the importance of home care across the lifespan.
Together, these conversations highlight how dental decision-making changes with age, and why proactive care can make a meaningful difference in both young and senior patients.
Resources & Links
WSAVA Global Dental Committee
WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines  
WSAVA Educational Resources  
A removable orthodontic device for the treatment of lingually displaced mandibular canine teeth in young dogs (Verhaert, 1999) 

Contributors
John Lewis, VMD, DAVDC, FF-OMFS  – LinkedIn 
Heidi Lobprise, DVM, DAVDC – LinkedIn
Cedric LC Tutt, Diplomate EVDC – LinkedIn | ResearchGate
Click here for the full transcript

This podcast was edited and produced by Contento Media Ltd.

In this episode of the WSAVA Podcast, interviewer Gottfried Morgenegg-Wegmüller speaks with two experts about what safe, effective dentistry really requires, and why pain management cannot be an afterthought.

First, Dr Brook A. Niemiec unpacks why “anaesthesia-free dentistry” is not dentistry at all. He explains what gets missed when you cannot probe, scale subgingivally, or take diagnostic dental radiographs, and why cosmetic cleaning can create a false sense of security while disease, pain, and infection continue beneath the gumline. 
In the second conversation, Dr Eva Eberspächer-Schweda focuses on practical approaches to safe anaesthesia and analgesia in dental patients. She explores how preparation, monitoring, and thoughtful pain control support better outcomes, and how teams can speak with confidence about risk, welfare, and the benefits of appropriate dental care.
Together, these conversations reinforce a simple principle: good dentistry depends on good anaesthesia. With the right protocols and communication, veterinary teams can protect patient welfare while delivering the care that dental disease demands.
Resources & Links
WSAVA Global Dental Committee
WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines  
WSAVA Educational Resources  
Evaluating the validity and reliability of a visual dental scale for detection of periodontal disease in non-anesthetized dogs 
Anesthesia-free dentistry does not provide any demonstrable medical benefit for the control of periodontal disease in dogs 

Contributors
Dr Brook A. Niemiec DVM, DAVDC, DEVDC – Website | Instagram  | VDS Pets
PD Dr. Eva Eberspächer-Schweda, FTA, Dipl. ACVAA – LinkedIn | Website | Instagram
Gottfried Morgenegg-Wegmüller – Website
Click here for the full transcript

This podcast was edited and produced by Contento Media Ltd.

In the opening episode of the second series of the WSAVA Podcast, interviewer David Clarke speaks with two expert clinicians about the links between oral health, systemic disease, and animal welfare in companion animals.
Dr Maria Soltero-Rivera discusses how oral disease in dogs and cats is rarely limited to the mouth alone. She explores how oral lesions may be associated with a wide range of systemic conditions, and why careful oral examination and pattern recognition are essential parts of medical assessment. Dr Soltero-Rivera also reflects on the need to view dentistry as part of core medicine rather than an isolated procedure.
Later in the episode, Dr Jen Mathis, focuses on oral pain and its impact on welfare. She examines why dental pain is often missed in clinical practice, how it can influence behaviour and quality of life, and the implications of delayed treatment. Dr Mathis also highlights the role of effective anaesthesia and analgesia in supporting patient welfare during dental care.
Together, these conversations introduce key themes for the series and set the stage for a deeper exploration of veterinary dentistry across the full spectrum of care.
Resources & Links
WSAVA Global Dental Committee
WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines  
WSAVA Educational Resources  
Association of periodontal disease and histologic lesions in multiple organs from 45 dogs
Periodontal disease burden and pathological changes in organs of dogs
Association of periodontal disease with systemic health indices in dogs and the systemic response to treatment of periodontal disease
FECAVA factsheet : Oral health and systemic disease in companion animals

Contributors

Dr Maria Soltero-Rivera, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, Dipl. EVDC – LinkedIn
Dr Jen Mathis, DVM – LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | ResearchGate | ORCID 
David Clarke BVSc, DAVDC, DAVDC-ZWD, FAVD, MANZCVS, Cert IV TA – LinkedIn
Click here for the full transcript

This podcast was edited and produced by Contento Media Ltd.

In this episode of the WSAVA Podcast, host Becky Murphy speaks with Dr Dan O’Neill about the evolving relationship between genetics, breed, and canine welfare, followed by Yaiza Gómez-Mejías in conversation with Dr Petra Černá on the importance of phenotypic screening in feline health. Together, these discussions explore how the traits we value today will determine the wellbeing of companion animals tomorrow.

Dr Dan O’Neill begins by challenging how we define “breed” itself. Drawing on his work as Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College, he traces the modern concept of breed to its human origins in the late 19th century - a time when social prestige, aesthetics, and competition overtook biology. He explains how this cultural construction has shaped today’s diversity of dogs, often fixing harmful mutations and extreme conformations into the gene pool. Yet, he argues, because breed is a human invention, it can also be reinvented to prioritise health.

In conversation with Becky Murphy, Dr O’Neill explores the difference between inherited and conformational disease, ultimately suggesting that the distinction may be artificial - all disease has an inherited component, whether behavioural, physical, or environmental. He calls on veterinarians to act as educators and advocates, engaging owners in honest and empathic dialogue about the health consequences of extreme conformation. He highlights the need for long-term cultural change, beginning with small, positive shifts: promoting healthy breeds on clinic social media, modelling good choices through the dogs veterinarians own themselves, and using non-judgmental language to encourage understanding rather than defensiveness.

Turning from dogs to cats, Yaiza Gómez-Mejías and Dr Petra Černá discuss the challenges of phenotypic screening in feline practice. Dr Černá explains that while genetic tests are expanding, many inherited disorders in cats still require clinical screening through radiographs, echocardiography, and careful physical evaluation. She emphasises the importance of accessible, high-quality testing and the role of general practitioners in guiding breeders toward responsible decisions even when definitive genetic information is lacking. From hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to hip dysplasia, she underlines that phenotypic screening - despite its limitations - is vital to improving welfare, reducing hereditary disease, and supporting the ethical stewardship of breeding lines.

Throughout the episode, both conversations reinforce the veterinarian’s unique position as a bridge between science, ethics, and the public. Whether discussing the reshaping of dog breeds or the evaluation of feline health, the message is clear: advancing welfare requires empathy, evidence, and the courage to rethink what we value in the animals who share our lives.

Resources & Links

• WSAVA Hereditary Disease Committee
• WSAVA Educational Resources
• Royal Veterinary College – Companion Animal Epidemiology
• OFA – Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals
• PawPeds – International Cat Health Database

Contributors

Dr Becky Murphy – Companion-animal veterinarian, governance leader, and business owner with a focus on genetics, theriogenology, and welfare-led breeding. President of the NZVA Companion Animal Veterinarians (CAV), member of the WSAVA Hereditary Disease Committee, and representative to the Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ) Board. Founder and Director of TCI GlenBred, delivering evidence-based reproductive and genetic-health services to support responsible breeding.

Dr Dan O’Neill MVB BSc (Hons) GPCert(SAP) GPCert(FelP) GPCert(Derm) GPCert(B&PS) PGCertVetEd FHEA MSc (VetEpi) PhD FRCVS – Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology, Royal Veterinary College. Profile

Yaiza Gómez-Mejías MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) – Veterinary Community Co-ordinator, International Cat Care Veterinary Society. LinkedIn | X

Dr Petra Černá PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), Dipl. ECVIM-CA, MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats), CertAVP (SAM-F), MRCVS, AFHEA, AdvCertFB – Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist, Colorado State University. LinkedIn | Instagram
Click here to read the full transcript

This podcast was edited and produced by Contento Media Ltd.