How common is periodontal disease in dogs?
Guillermo Sporer
2025-09-22 19:42:17
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Periodontal disease describes the most common form of dental disease in dogs, spanning a spectrum from inflamed gums to deeper infections that can ultimately lead to tooth loosening and loss. One in eight of all dogs seen each year in first opinion veterinary care are diagnosed with periodontal disease. From a random sample of 22,333 dogs attending 784 UK veterinary clinics, the VetCompass study identified that 2,797 dogs (12.5%) were diagnosed with periodontal disease in a single year. In fact, periodontal disease was by far the most commonly diagnosed disorder in UK dogs, with ear infections (7.3%) and obesity (7.1%) coming in a distant second and third. This horror story of one in every eight UK dogs suffering from periodontal disease highlights the hidden dental epidemic that our dogs are enduring so bravely. Periodontal disease is a progressive disease that worsens as dogs age. The study showed that dogs aged eight years and above were over three times more likely to be affected with periodontal disease compared with young adult dogs aged two to four years. As a general rule, smaller-sized dogs were more prone to periodontal disease than larger dogs: dogs weighing under 15kg were 2.5 times more likely to be affected than dogs weighing 30-40kg.
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