Why this association is so important
The NPDA was established in order to set standards and guidelines for the practice of and affiliation with Professional Outpatient Preventive Dentistry (POPD). It also strives to ensure the proper level of training and experience from the POPD provider, to ensure that they are capable of treating pets safely and thoroughly and that they can be a resource of information as to the differences between a POPD, a traditional non-anesthetic dental, and a non-professional dental scaling (NPDS). NPDS is a coined acronym the American Veterinary Dental College uses to describe layperson teeth cleaning.
The NPDA is a non-profit organization with one goal in mind—to help educate pet owners, veterinarians, and the public about the importance of a proper medically-supervised dental procedure that can help them make educated decisions when it comes to the dental health and safety of pets.
All NPDA certified providers offering a Professional Outpatient Preventive Dental will meet the following qualifications:
- The dental technician(s) must have a minimum of two years working as a registered veterinary technician or assistant. It’s imperative that they understand all elements of a veterinary practice.
- They must have a minimum of 18 months working as a non-anesthetic dental provider.
- They must have three veterinarian sponsors from two separate clinics. They must practice a professional approach, be educated on the importance of all aspects of dentistry, and a have solid understanding of why a POPD is a medical procedure.
