Dental News - University of Gothenburg euthanises dogs after dental implant experiments

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 27. March 2019

save

GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Despite the worldwide protests against ongoing dental implant experiments on animals at the University of Gothenburg, six dogs have been euthanised to conduct further analyses of their tissue and blood. Nevertheless, animal rights activists are still hopeful and see this as an opportunity to debate the ethical standards of animal testing and the importance of seeking alternative methods.

In January, Djurrättsalliansen, a Swedish animal rights organisation, drew attention to experiments on dogs being carried out at the University of Gothenburg. The revelation spread rapidly and received a great deal of public attention. In just a week after the disclosure of information on the experiments, 84,222 people signed the petition in the hope of saving the dogs. It was then handed over to representatives of the university at a protest outside of the university building where the dogs were being held. The experiment has also been reported to the police and county administrative board.

Although the animal rights organisation insisted that the university should interrupt the experiment and release the dogs in order to rehabilitate and rehome them, as well repeatedly tried to arrange a meeting with the university, the university representatives were reluctant to accept the invitation and address the issue both privately and publicly.

Regardless of the devastating outcome for the dogs, the special focus by the media has led to more people questioning animal experiments from an ethical perspective. Animal rights activists see this as an opportunity to continue fighting for a change in the law to guarantee the implementation of animal-free tests by both government agencies and corporations, and the enormous attention the experiments on the dogs have received is an essential step in this direction, according to Djurrättsalliansen.

The EU has already banned the testing in the EU of cosmetic ingredients and cosmetic products, as well as banned the sale in the EU of cosmetics tested on animals after 11 March 2013 anywhere in the world. It established the EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing and the EU Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods to assist the laboratory in EU-wide validation of non-animal testing methods.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Animal rights activists sign petition against dental implant experiments involving dogs

GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have been using dogs in their experiments to test how dental implants might lead to ...

Quality of life after rehabilitation with implant treatment

In an interview with Dental Tribune International, Prof. Dr Katja Nelson talks about her findings on patients with oral cancer after rehabilitation with ...

Dental implants show longevity and continued function after four decades

GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Single-tooth implants have demonstrated high success rates over observation periods of five to ten years. However, long-term monitoring...

Anti-inflammatory coatings may reduce complications after dental implant surgery

HALLE (SAALE), Germany: The use of medical implants can be hampered by chronic inflammatory reactions, which may result in failure of the device. Now, ...

Osstem Implant strengthens presence in Brazil with new university agreement

SEOUL, South Korea: Osstem Implant has signed an agreement with Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic to provide various degrees of support to the dentistry ...

Frequency of dental visits dramatically decreases after dementia diagnosis

STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Patients with dementia tend to abandon regular dental check-ups, the results of a large-scale longitudinal study have revealed.

Qatar University celebrates first dental graduates

DOHA, Qatar: Qatar University has marked a historic milestone with the graduation of the founding cohort from the College of Dental Medicine, the ...

Semmelweis University highlights severe environmental impact of dentistry

BUDAPEST, Hungary: Research shows that healthcare systems contribute 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and dentistry plays a significant role in this...

University of Iceland may apply controversial method of dental age assessment

REYKJAVIK, Iceland: The University of Iceland (HÍ) and the Directorate of Immigration are currently finalising a work agreement on determining the age of ...

University of Otago produces second Māori graduate in periodontics

DUNEDIN, New Zealand: Māori make up over 17% of the New Zealand population and are twice as likely to develop severe periodontitis as non-Māori New ...

Education

Live webinar
Thu. 17 July 2025
7:30 pm EST (New York)