Tooth brushing vs. commercial vs. raw diet.

[pstinard]

I'm reading through a veterinary college level textbook on small animal nutrition (Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition. Fascetti, AJ and Delaney, SJ, eds. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.) and thought I'd share some of the findings from the chapter on periodontal (dental) diseases.

By age 12 to 14, about 96% of dogs will have some form of periodontal disease. Periodontis will develop in almost all dogs fed standard commercial diets. However, dental disease was worse in animals fed soft (canned food) diets as opposed to dry (kibble diets). That's because dry food helps scrape off the plaque. Dogs fed home cooked meals tended to have more dental problems than dogs fed dry kibble, probably because the home cooked food is soft and doesn't scrape off plaque. Once weekly feeding of oxtails (to beagles) reduced the amount of plaque to about 5%, but plaque isn't the only issue.

The conclusion is that commercial diets are associated with periodontal disease, and canned food is worse than dry food. Supplementation with natural chews like oxtails improved dental health.

Despite this, however, dogs fed raw "natural" diets did not have better dental health than those fed commercial diets. Although they had less plaque, they had more gingivitis and chipped/broken teeth.

Chews like rawhide chews and CET chews improved dental health for some dogs, but not all, and didn't give consistent results.

Specially formulated dental diets, with or without special chews, also gave inconsistent results.

Do you know what was the most effective? Daily tooth brushing. It not only reduces the plaque, but it also stimulates the gums to make them healthier and helped prevent gingivitis. Only daily brushing worked--you couldn't brush the teeth only ever other day.

Conclusions and recommendations from the book chapter:

1. Dental disease is the most common disease affecting dogs. The kind of dog food fed (dry kibble, canned, or raw food) didn't affect the amount of dental disease.

2. Although chews can reduce plaque, they don't prevent gingivitis and other dental diseases.

3. Daily tooth brushing, in combination with recreational chewing, mouth rinsing, and dental water additives, proved to be the most effective at reducing dental diseases.

[yorkiemini]

Another extremely interesting and pertinent review! Thank you so much for these!

Of course I am not a doggie dentist, but my Cali was losing teeth every year with her dental. I know probably genetic. But, 2 years ago I started brushing her teeth daily, or at least 3 times a week, he she has not lost any teeth on her last two dentals. I also started doing her dental every 6months instead of just yearly. She eats kibbles - and I do agree it helps some - don’t know how much of course. But.... we have made great progress. She is 9 now and we have a big goal to not lose any more teeth.

I used to let her chew on a bully stick while sitting next to me a couple times a month and I think that helped too, it after the pancreatic scare I’m afraid of too much fat.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by yorkiemini

Another extremely interesting and pertinent review! Thank you so much for these!

Of course I am not a doggie dentist, but my Cali was losing teeth every year with her dental. I know probably genetic. But, 2 years ago I started brushing her teeth daily, or at least 3 times a week, he she has not lost any teeth on her last two dentals. I also started doing her dental every 6months instead of just yearly. She eats kibbles - and I do agree it helps some - don’t know how much of course. But.... we have made great progress. She is 9 now and we have a big goal to not lose any more teeth.

I used to let her chew on a bully stick while sitting next to me a couple times a month and I think that helped too, it after the pancreatic scare I’m afraid of too much fat.

Good for Cali! You go, girl! It's good to hear that brushing works.

[Lovetodream88]

This is very interesting and thanks for sharing.

[Furmom]

OP, was the textbook written in 2012?

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Furmom

OP, was the textbook written in 2012?

I'm not sure that would change anything.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by Furmom

OP, was the textbook written in 2012?

Yes, it was. Specialized text books like this one aren't updated or rewritten very often. I do have access to more recent research articles than that, though.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I'm not sure that would change anything.

It doesn't change anything. Dr. Remillard's most recent textbook on Clinical Veterinary Nutrition was written in 2010 and it's still considered current--I might up getting that one as well.

[Rachael1983]

That’s very helpful .

[Wylie's Mom]

Makes total sense to me !

And geesh, darn genetics affects teeth more than ANYthing in both animals and humans - I swear it.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Makes total sense to me !

And geesh, darn genetics affects teeth more than ANYthing in both animals and humans - I swear it.

Thanks for posting! Really good info for people to know!

[Furmom]

Originally Posted by pstinard

It doesn't change anything. Dr. Remillard's most recent textbook on Clinical Veterinary Nutrition was written in 2010 and it's still considered current--I might up getting that one as well.

Thanks!

[Furmom]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Makes total sense to me !

And geesh, darn genetics affects teeth more than ANYthing in both animals and humans - I swear it.

Yes, it does. I believe certain breeds are more prone to dental problems than others.