The Courses
Members of TriDent were involved with the LANTRA process for the National Occupation Standards (NOS) for equine dentistry in the UK. Click here
TriDent courses will aim to come into line with NOS as they are published.
You can click on the following links to find out more including the qualifications needed to become an Equine Dentist:
British Association of Equine Dental Technicians
World Wide Association of Equine Dentists
The Courses
TriDent’s equine dental courses are busier than ever, and places are booking up earlier each year. From 2027 we’re running three nine-day courses annually, and we’re retiring the old “Basic” and “Advanced” labels in favour of six numbered course levels, Course 1 through Course 6, so it’s clearer where you sit and what comes next. If you have already completed courses with TriDent and need to know which course to choose next please get in touch.
Each course consists of seven or nine full days of intense training towards becoming an equine dental technician. We have changed the structure of the courses slightly to have more time to work on treating horses. As before all of the horses will be sedated during the practical training. This will allow a safer teaching environment and allow our instructors to cover more aspects of treating the horse’s mouth.
The practical sessions will be only 1-2 students per instructor, with students treating at least two horses per day. Students will be encouraged to carry out as much of the treatment as possible using either hand tools or power-driven equipment.
The theoretical lectures will cover the basics of equine dentistry through to the more advanced theories and techniques. Students will start in the basic lectures and progress to the more advanced lectures once they have reached a standard to do so. Lectures will include ageing, terminology, tooth structure, basic & advanced malocclusions, mechanics of the head, UK industry guidelines & best practices, business structure and promotion and equipment requirements.
Students will also be helped to produce presentations that they can use for promotional talks as well as present their cases to the class.
Each course will also include a guest lecturer to present on a subject of interest to equine dentistry. On past courses we have had presentations on equine nutrition, the digestive system and recent theses on different aspects of equine dentistry.
Instruction
All of our practical instructors (stall leaders) and some of our lecturers are registered in the UK with either the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) or the World Wide Association of Equine Dentists (WWAED). Our lead instructors, some of our stall leaders and some of our lecturers are also registered with the International Association of Equine Dentists (IAED).
All of our training will teach students how to follow the current UK guidelines for equine dental technicians regarding category 1, 2 and 3 procedures.
Each stable/stall will have an instructor and two students.
TriDent & its students (whilst attending a TriDent course) are covered for £5,000,000 Public Liability by NFU Sheffield.
Following on
Once students have attended their first course they are welcome to attend field trips organised by TriDent. The field trips will be a chance to treat horses under instruction in the “Real World” at various venues. We have already had enquiries from yards in the UK and abroad! Further details will be sent out and put on the Facebook page when available.
Students are expected to practice what they have learnt between courses as well as travelling with different EDTs. They should be aware of their limitations as a guide to their aims for the next course.