The Veterinary Dental Patient: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Группа авторов

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2 Marketing and Communication in Veterinary Dentistry

       Rachel Perry1,2

       1 Perry Referrals, Brighton, UK

       2 Royal Veterinary College, London, UK

2.1 Introduction

      For many years, the education of veterinary dentistry at the university level has been limited, especially when compared to the frequency with which oral and dental problems are encountered in practice (Perry 2014). Veterinarians can therefore leave university and start practicing veterinary dentistry with limited skills and knowledge (Clark et al. 2002; Greenfield et al. 2004). Techniques may then be learned from older colleagues, who themselves received little or no training in the subject. Without a formal, structured continuing professional development (CPD) program that includes small‐animal dentistry, the subject can be overlooked. Many veterinarians feel ill‐equipped to diagnose oral and dental problems and make meaningful treatment recommendations to their clients (Perry 2014). They may understandably be afraid of performing dental procedures if they have limited understanding of the skills and equipment involved. Furthermore, when one's understanding of a subject is limited, it can be difficult to make accurate self‐assessments of one's skill and knowledge levels (Kruger and Dunning 1999).

      It is therefore not surprising that veterinarians struggle to adequately market their veterinary dentistry services (if they do so at all) or to make compelling recommendations for treatments at appropriate stages of the oral/dental disease process. This may result in:

      1 A welfare issue as pets either do not receive the dental treatment they require, or receive suboptimal treatment (WSAVA 2018).

      2 Demotivated professionals considering the “dental” as a chore, or as something that new graduates or students perform (Perry 2014).

      3 Clients who perceive poor value for money when they present their pets for treatment (“We cleaned the teeth, and pulled the rotten ones”).

      4 Financial underperformance of the clinic due to missed opportunities for dental treatment, lack of chargeable diagnostic and therapeutic items (such as dental radiographs, regional anesthesia, and multiparameter anesthetic monitoring), or undercharging (as “it's just a dental”).

      5 Clients electing for “dental” proposals from nonveterinary/lay sources or investing in worthless or damaging products and procedures such as anesthesia‐free dentistry or dentistry performed by groomers.

The reasons these things may occur include (see Figure 2.1):

       Unconscious incompetence (veterinarian is unaware they do not possess the necessary skills/knowledge) (Kruger and Dunning 1999)

       Lack of correct equipment and tools to carry out diagnostic tests and perform treatments (e.g., periodontal probe, dental radiography, dental unit, Luxator/elevators, periosteal elevators)

       Lack of enthusiasm for booking dental procedures due to dislike/fear

       Lack of time allotted to dental procedures (leading to stress)

       Lack of confidence (leading to the inability to make meaningful recommendations, or to inappropriate undercharging for services)

       Lack of conviction (disbelief) that a treatment is truly required (may be detected by the client in the veterinarian’s unconscious body language)

       Lack of confidence around the ability to provide safe general anesthesia (leading veterinarians not to make recommendations for dental treatment)Figure 2.1 Scheme illustrating problems associated with selling veterinary dental services.

       Ignorance (leading to prejudices and misconceptions in both the public and veterinary communities, such as: animals do not feel pain; it is impossible to anesthetize an older patient; tartar is a natural phenomenon; bad breath is normal in dogs and cats)

      Rather than making a convincing argument for dental assessment and treatment, the veterinarian may inadvertently send a very confusing message to their clients. A statement such as “Rusty's teeth are pretty dirty. He could do with a dental within the next 6 months” does not motivate the client to take immediate action. Rather, it invalidates the need for intervention: “dirty” is not a medical term, and implies a cosmetic solution, while the timescale (six months) suggests the pet does not have a real problem and there is no need to take any action.

      This unfortunately leads to our profession being reactive when it comes to oral and dental care in pets, rather than proactive (like our human dental counterparts). This may be compounded by the fact that oral and dental problems are hidden from the owner's view, halitosis is normalized, and pets invariably continue to eat despite oral pain and infection. It is therefore not uncommon for patients