Effect of At-Home Dental Care on Unscaled Teeth

In the Literature

Gawor J, Jank M, Harvey CE, Nicolas CS. Effectiveness of dental homecare protocols in unscaled dogs. J Vet Dent. 2024:8987564241292769. doi:10.1177/08987564241292769

The Research …

More than 80% of dogs have evidence of periodontal disease by 3 years of age.¹ The periodontium comprises the gingiva, cementum, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone.² Inflammation, breakdown, or loss of any of these structures constitutes periodontal disease. Oral examination with diagnostic imaging performed while the patient is under anesthesia is imperative for complete evaluation of structures above and below the gingival margin^2,3; however, pet owners may have concerns about anesthesia, and anesthetized procedures can be cost prohibitive.^4,5

This study^a evaluated 6 oral hygiene regimens against a negative control group. Client-owned dogs (n = 125) did not receive anesthetized dental cleaning prior to the study, had good general health, and represented various breeds, ages, and sexes. Amount of dental deposits and overall periodontal health were evaluated by a board-certified veterinary dentist via oral examination in nonanesthetized patients on day 0 and at 8 and 16 weeks. Right and left maxillary third incisors, canine teeth, and third and fourth premolars were specifically targeted for evaluation. Owners were instructed not to use at-home dental care products during the first 8 weeks of the study. Dogs were then randomly assigned to the control group (no oral hygiene) or one of the following protocols for the next 8 weeks: brushing every other day with toothbrush and toothpaste, daily dental chew, daily drinking water additive, once-weekly brushing and daily chew, once-weekly brushing and daily drinking water additive, or daily chew and daily drinking water additive.

Significantly reduced dental deposits were noted at 16 weeks in all groups. Dogs that received daily brushing, daily chews, weekly brushing and daily water additives, and weekly brushing and daily chews had significant changes in plaque and calculus deposit scores compared with dogs in the control group. Periodontal health status improved in all treatment groups between 8 and 16 weeks, but only the weekly brushing and daily drinking water additive group and the daily chew and daily drinking water additive group had significant improvement.

^a This study was supported by Virbac SA.

… The Takeaways

Key pearls to put into practice:

• In patients with severe periodontal disease, including significant attachment loss and tooth mobility, anesthetized dental cleaning, oral evaluation, and treatment are necessary to improve periodontal health and comfort.

• Combining at-home dental care protocols (eg, brushing daily or every other day, daily chews, daily water additives) may help improve periodontal health and reduce dental deposits on teeth; however, water additives are less effective in dogs with significant dental plaque and calculus.

• Although anesthetized dental cleanings are optimal for periodontal health, at-home dental care may positively impact overall oral cavity health.

• Cats do not accumulate dental deposits as readily as dogs; implementation of similar at-home care protocols may therefore not be as useful in this species.