Equine Dental Technician (EDT) Training and Examination in the United Kingdom

The term Equine Dental Technician (EDT) is the correct term for a layperson that has shown skill and experience in dealing with certain equine dental procedures. 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 in 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:

• The examination of equine teeth
• Routine rasping (excluding the use of power dental tools)
• Removal of sharp enamel points and small dental overgrowths (less than 5mm high and involving less than half of the tooth's occlusal surface) with manual rasps
• Removal of digitally (finger) loose deciduous cheek teeth ("caps")
• Removal of calculus, which lies above the gum line.

A further group of procedures have recently been designated as advanced dental procedures. These procedures are at present deemed to be acts of veterinary surgery but are currently being deregulated by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons who are amending the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 to legally allow these defined procedures to be performed by qualified EDTs who have passed the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA)/British Veterinary Dental Association (BVDA) examination. These advanced equine dental procedures are termed:

• Extraction of loose teeth, including both cheek teeth and incisors, including deciduous cheek teeth or teeth suffering from advanced periodontal disease. However teeth which have been loosened by trauma must have further investigation by a veterinary surgeon - including x-rays if necessary - before being extracted
• Extraction of normal, fully erupted and non-displaced wolf teeth
• Removal of large dental overgrowths (over 5mm tall and involving over 50% of the occlusal surface of the tooth) and overgrowths over 5mm tall of whole teeth.
• Techniques requiring the use of dental shears, inertia hammers and motorized dental instruments including power rasps.
• Treatment of fractured and diseased teeth.
• Extraction of dental fragments and palliative rasping of fractured and adjacent teeth.

Many of these advanced dental procedures will require sedation of the horse, which can only be performed by a veterinary surgeon. Additionally, many cases will require analgesics, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic treatment following the above dental procedures. These drugs can also only be administered by a veterinary surgeon at present. Certain equine dental procedures will not be deregulated to equine dental technicians and can at the present, and in the future only be performed by veterinary surgeons. These are termed:

• Any procedure which involves making an incision (except elevation of the gum for the purpose of intra-oral extraction of teeth under veterinary supervision)
• Extraction of teeth by repulsion, buccotomy
• Endodontics (root canal treatment)
• Orthodontics (e.g. bracing parrot mouths)
• Repair of mandibular fractures.

Currently in Britain a wide variety of lay people perform equine dental procedures. These vary from very inexperienced people, who have minimal training, but nevertheless perform advanced dental procedures, sometimes damaging equine teeth. On some occasions, they cause serious, even life-threatening injuries to horses' jaws, mouths and throats. Other people (sometimes referred to as "tooth raspers" - because that is basically all they are legally allowed to do in Britain) perform simple Category 1 procedures such as rasping off small sharp dental overgrowths.

People have gained experience in a number of ways in order to pass the BEVA/BEDA examination and thus becoming members of the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT).

The introductory, one-day EDT courses run by BEVA gives just a flavour of the knowledge and the type of work that will be required to help people make a more informed career decision. Despite BEVA/BVDA constantly emphasizing this fact, some people still claim, e.g. newspaper and equine magazine advertisements, to be "fully BEVA trained," after such 1-day courses!

Further details about other courses are available from BEVA headquarters
    Website: http://www.beva.org.uk
    Tel:        01223 836 970
or BAEDT
    Tel:        01827 284 718

Likewise, although the 2-day BEVA/BVDA advanced theoretical EDT course (which must be undertaken before sitting the official examination) teaches advanced dental anatomy, equine nutrition, dental disorders and treatments, microbiology, disinfection, health and safety and current legislation in Britain today, it does not give any of the training in the practical skills which are essential to a very high level, if this examination is to be passed.

Further details available from BEVA headquarters.
    Website: http://www.beva.org.uk
    Tel:        01223 836 970
or BAEDT
    Tel:        01827 284 718

Application for the Examination

Candidates must have attended the BEVA/BVDA advanced EDT course prior to sitting the official EDT examination which is run jointly by BEVA and the BVDA.

There is a very rigorous written and practical examination overseen by external examiners. On passing this examination, the equine dental technician can perform the category 2 procedures

It is hoped that the final legislation will soon go through Parliament to deregulate the Category 2 procedures and in turn, the BEVA/BVDA examination will then be also acknowledged by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and DEFRA.

Passing of the official BEVA/BVDA examination also allows the EDT to join the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT), an association whose membership is restricted to fully qualified EDTs. To date, approximately 30 EDTs have passed the BEVA/BVDA examination and then have become members of the BAEDT. It is hoped that over the next few years, all EDT's in Britain, who perform work to a high standard, will attend BEVA/BVDA advanced courses and sit this examination and thus be recognized as being properly accredited.

Applicants intending to sit the EDT examinations in 2003 will have to spend two days working with qualified EDTs and to submit a case log of 300 dental cases, including dental charts signed by a veterinarian, when advanced dental procedures involving use of sedatives and other drugs were undertaken. These dental charts will have to include 40 dental charts signed by a veterinarian, where advanced dental procedures which required sedation.

Photographic evidence would be welcome in the portfolio although not essential.

The Examination

The examination consists of two parts.

• Practical

  Ensure you have equipment, which is clean and in excellent condition, and wear suitable clothing. You will be presented with a horse or pony and asked to do any necessary work. You will be given one hour to do this and to suggest any long-term plan for further treatment. Examiners may ask to check the horse's mouth before, during and after the treatment. They will also be asking questions.

• Theory

  This part of the examination consists of a number of well-tried and tested activities.

  • A. Two multiple choice question papers will be given. They need to be read carefully and the correct answers ticked. Past papers of the theoretical parts of this examination will be made available.
  • B. Specimen, equipment and models. These are placed at stations around a room and you are asked to identify or comment upon them. You will be given a strict period of time at each station.
  • C. Skulls or Cadavers. You will be asked to chart or identify problems.