About the WWAED Dentists

A list of all currently registered dentists can be seen at the bottom of the page

ASSESSMENT
All of our dentists are assessed prior to joining the WWAED. We assess for a number of things, including appearance, time-keeping, equipment, customer-facing skills, horse handling skills, diagnosis and treatment. All information obtained in the assessment is documented and retained by the association.

ON PROBATION MEMBERSHIP
Upon successful completion of the assessment, the dentist will be given a membership status of ON PROBATION and a time frame to take the association entrance examination.

FULL MEMBERSHIP
The Association Entrance examination is a test of the capabilities of a dentist to perform the regular diagnosis and treatment of a horse that represents the majority of horses in the UK. Upon successful completion of the Entrance examination, the dentist will receive a membership status of FULL MEMBER. If the dentist is unsuccessful after three attempts, they will have their membership terminated. The examination is in two parts, a Theory exam, which must be successfully completed, before they can take the Practical examination. The examinations are run to a strict code of conduct and the partcipants are examined anonymously.

DEFRA/RCVS APPROVED LEVEL 2 EXAM
The association has RCVS and DEFRA approval to run Level 2 Exemption examinations, which is the ONLY officially recognised equine dentistry qualification in the UK. We are the only approved group to have had their examination reviewed and accepted by DEFRA and the RCVS. Successful completion of this examination allows the dentist to perform procedures that previously were only allowed to be performed by veterinarians. If a dentist has successfully passed this examination then it will be shown against their record in the dentist directory.

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The association also offers Continuous Professional Development (CPD) which could be in the form of practical training sessions or other related courses and all members are expected to attend at least one session per year. This is also indicated against their record in the dentist directory.

IMPORTANT NOTE
While a member has a status of On Probation, it should be noted that they have been assessed but are usually still working towards their Entrance Examination and have not yet demonstrated the competencies of a Full Member, however, they are still covered by the WWAED/NFU insurance policy, but only for Category Procedures. The exception to this if they have taken the more advanced Level 2 examination with the association prior to joining the association. In this case, the Level 2 examination status will be shown against their dentist record.