The BEVA/BVDA Advanced Theoretical EDT Course will take place on 22nd and 23rd August 2008 at the Jurys Inn Hotel, Birmingham.

This lecture based course is aimed at the more experienced EDT who wishes to sit the BEVA/BVDA EDT examination in the future. The course will cover all the theory needed for the theory section of the EDT exam. At the end of day two the EDT Exam will be discussed in detail highlighting the reasons for previous failures.

To become a fully trained EDT will take many years of hard training. It must also be recognised that EDT work is physically very demanding, requires excellent horse-handling skills, good client communication skills, high initial capital outlay on training and equipment and finally, excellent business skills to build up and retain a good client base.

The law in Britain on equine dentistry (covered in The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966) clearly specifies which equine dental procedures lay people can perform and which can only be carried out by registered veterinary surgeons. The current law, which will not be affected by new legislation due to be passed shortly, allows certain designated routine equine dental procedures which are not considered to be acts of veterinary surgery to be performed by lay-people whether they are trained or not. These are termed:

Training can be obtained formally by undertaking a 3-year degree course for example at Hartpury College . This will cover the theoretical side of the work and successful attainment of the degree will exempt you from the theoretical part of the BEVA/BVDA exam. Practical experience has to be obtained outside the course, working with other qualified EDTs.

No (see details on legal position in section 2.) There are many people who have undertaken formal and informal EDT training and built up experience over many years who only wish to remain as competent “tooth raspers” i.e undertake only Category 1 procedures as detailed in section 2. These people are working within the law. It is strongly advised that they should build up a working relationship with the veterinary practices in their area so that when referral for more advanced dental work is necessary or sedation is required for routine rasping there is good cooperation between all parties involved.

Please contact the BAEDT

The draft legislation has been with the DEFRA lawyers for many months now. We have been promised that it will be finalised shortly but other legislative work has continually delayed this final hurdle. The BEVA continually ask for updates on the progress of the exemption order.

Until this exemption order has become law it is only lawful for veterinary surgeons to carry out the more advanced category 2 and 3 procedures. (see Q 2 and 5).

No. You have to pass the BEVA/BVDA equine dental exam to legally be able to carry out procedures other than those in category 1 (see section 2)

No –In the UK only veterinary surgeons can legally sedate (by injection or oral paste) or inject local anaesthetics. Therefore it is illegal for non-veterinarians to even possess such drugs. Possibly fatal side effects can occur with sedatives, particularly when used by personnel not trained in their use and dealing with their side effects.

The required knowledge and skills for the exam are;

• Basic understanding of common equine infectious diseases and their control
• Understanding of legal and ethical issues currently applicable to the EDT in the UK
• Ability to handle a horse in a safe, calm and humane manner
• Understanding of bitting and of bit-related problems
• Ability to examine the head and oral cavity, identifying all dental and soft tissue abnormalities
• Ability to document the findings of the oral examination (using standard Triadan nomenclature/terminology) on an equine dental chart
• EDTs may if they like bring their own dental charts which must be in standard ( 3 numeral) Triadan format (e.g. 311 is 6th left mandibular cheek tooth)
• Ability to explain the relationship between dental disease and abnormal tooth wear in the individual animal
• Ability to formulate a list of procedures necessary to correct any abnormalities detected, with awareness that some more serious dental disorders require veterinary attention.
• Awareness of the value of ancillary aids eg. radiography, endoscopy, scintigraphy and of the limitations of a physical examination when dealing with oral problems
• An understanding of age-related dental appearance and age related disorders
• Knowledge of deciduous and permanent incisor and cheek teeth eruption sequence and “cap” shedding
• Ability to age horses with awareness of the limitations of this procedure
• Appreciation that the age of the horse and the overall status of the teeth will affect the degree of cheek teeth reduction, if reduction of the occlusal surface is required.

Candidates should also be competent in the following procedures;