Veterinary professionals around the globe now have access to Practice Guidelines created by a Task Force of board-certified veterinary specialists and a veterinary technician specialist in dentistry. The 2025 FelineVMA Feline Oral Health and Dental Care Guidelines are a comprehensive, evidence-based resource designed to help veterinary teams deliver the highest standard of oral health and dental care for cats.
Published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, these Guidelines bring together the latest knowledge and expert consensus on feline oral health. “Oral and dental diseases are among the most common health problems in cats, yet they’re often unrecognized,” said Heidi Lobprise, DVM, DAVDC, Co-chair of the Guidelines Task Force. “These Guidelines equip veterinary professionals with practical, evidence-based recommendations to diagnose and manage these diseases early, improving quality of life for feline patients.”
The Guidelines emphasize a team-based approach — empowering every member of the veterinary team to participate in feline dental care, from client communication to postoperative support. They highlight continuum of care principles, recognizing that individualized dental care decisions depend on patient needs, caregiver goals, and available resources. Additionally, caregivers are encouraged to play an active role in preventive oral health and home dental care.
Key content of the Guidelines includes:
- Empowering caregivers
- Feline oral and dental diseases
- Patient assessment, evaluation, and documentation
- Anesthesia and analgesia
- Oral and dental surgical care
- Typical workflow and staging of procedures
- Considerations in relation to tooth extraction
- Postoperative considerations
- Nutritional support
- Use of systemic antibiotics
- Supplemental resources (including videos, client brochure and materials, and scoring chart)
“These Guidelines reinforce that oral health is central to feline health and wellbeing,” said Kelly St. Denis, MSc, DVM, DABVP (Feline), Co-chair of the Guidelines Task Force. “By aligning veterinary teams and educating caregivers, we can ensure that more cats receive the dental care they need and deserve.”
Download GuidelineThe Task Force included Heidi Lobprise, DVM, DAVDC (Co-chair); Kelly St Denis, MSc, DVM, DABVP (Feline) (Co-chair); Jamie G Anderson, DVM, MS, DAVDC, DACVIM; Naomi Hoyer, DVM, DAVDC; Nadine Fiani, BVSc, DAVDC, FFOMFS; and Jan Yaroslav, RVT, VTS (Dentistry, CP-Feline).
The Guidelines development was supported by an educational grant to the FelineVMA from:
