The Relations between Oral Micrograms and Home Dental Care with Toothbrush in Japanese Domesticate Dogs

Abstract

Oral diseases, such as periodontal diseases and oral tumors, are common health prob-lems in adult dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the oral environment of healthy dogs by age group using liquid based cytology method（LBC meth-od）, and determine the effects of home dental care on oral environment. According to LBC method’s data, typical oral bacterial flora included indigenous bacteria, zoonotic pathogens（i.e. Malassezia, Microsporum canis, Chlamydia）, and two pro-tozoans- Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax, with some variation in these with aging. Age and home dental care were significant factors in the variations of these oral bacterial flora. In particular, the appearance of zoonotic pathogens in young（1 to 3 years of age）and middle-aged（4 to 7 years of age）adult dogs which usually have reduced frequency of home oral care, was higher than in senior（over 8 years old）adult dogs. The occurrence of Simonsiella, which is one of the representative indigenous oral bacteria in dogs, decreased with age, in contrast to Trichomonas tenax, which increased with age. Our results suggest that prevention and early treatment of periodontal disease in dogs requires daily home dental care in combination with regular dental checkups and professional dental care by a veterinarian to remove Trichomonas tenax and calculus.