Prospective randomised blinded clinical trial assessing effectiveness of three dental plaque control methods in dogs

To assess the effectiveness of three commonly used methods of controlling dental plaque accumulation within a general practice setting.

A blinded study, block randomising dogs at recruitment to receive one of three treatments to start after a routine scale and polish procedure: once daily tooth brushing using a toothbrush and veterinary toothpaste, once daily administration of a single dental hygiene chew or a prescription dental diet. Blinded scoring of plaque accumulation, both coverage and thickness, was performed at the end of the 6-week study.

A total of 22 dogs completed the study, which simultaneously assessed the effectiveness of the three means of plaque control. Daily tooth brushing was shown to be more than three times as effective at controlling plaque accumulation compared to using a daily dental chew or dental diet. The dental plaque scores for the diet and dental chews were not significantly different from one another and there was much greater variability in the mouth scores for these two groups of dogs compared to the tooth brushing group.

The study design has been shown to be an effective means of assessing plaque accumulation over a 6-week period using a clean mouth model. Secondly, this study adds to the evidence which shows that daily tooth brushing is the most effective single method of reducing plaque accumulation and optimising dogs' oral health.