Teaching surgical skills has long been a part of the veterinary training space. There is no illusion as to the benefit of repetitive deliberate practice, with feedback, in improving technical skill sets Non-cadaveric surgical training has many methods and already uses virtual reality, 3D printing, plastic models, and advanced simulations to teach surgical skills. 3D printing has less limitations than the use of cadavers. Beyond the ethical considerations there are many benefits to adopting the use of truly anatomical 3D printed modelling. As degrees around the world become internationally recognised it continues to stand out that the day 1 competency in dentistry remains well below the standard of public expectation across the world. According to the AVMA in 2024 in the USA 59.8 million households owned a dog and 42.2 million households owned a cat. According to FEDIAF in Europe in 2025 108 million cats were owned and 89.6million dogs. In Australia the statistics per household are slightly above those in the USA with 5.1million owned dogs and over 5 million pet cats.

Current statistics show the approximate incidence of periodontal disease in dogs to be 85% of dogs over 2 years of age and 75% of cats over 3 years of age. This without doubt makes periodontal disease the most ubiquitous disease of dogs and cats. Post graduate training in this area is on an exponential growth track because of the deficiencies in the day one competencies around the world. This has been limited by physical access and expert tutor numbers.
The way forward must be to increase the access to standardised training. Given the current numbers of AVDC and EVDC diplomats there are approximately 456 thousand pet owning households being serviced per diplomat across USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. There is no doubt that this is a busy training space and it’s only going to get busier.

3D-Printed Models
Anatomically correct customizable and realistic models of specific anatomy will enable ground up training in areas where day one competencies are poor. The benefits are lengthy.

Benefits of Non-Cadaveric Training
• Patient Safety
• Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
• Standardized and Objective Feedback:
• Repetitive Practice
• Reduced Demands on Supervision increasing accessibility
• Fidelity and Realism