Effects of novel dental chews on oral health outcomes and halitosis in adult dogs

Abstract Periodontal disease (PD) is the most common clinical condition occurring in adult dogs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits of daily dental chew administration on oral health outcomes in adult dogs. Twelve adult (mean age = 5.31 ± 1.08 yr; mean BW = 13.12 ± 1.39 kg) female beagle dogs were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design consisting of 28-d periods. On day 0 of each period, teeth were cleaned by a veterinary dentist blinded to treatments. Teeth then were scored for plaque, calculus, and gingivitis by the same veterinary dentist on day 28 of each period. Breath samples were measured for malodor (volatile sulfur compounds) on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 27 of each period. All dogs consumed the same commercial dry diet throughout the study. Control dogs were offered the diet only (CT), while treatment groups received the diet plus one of three dental chews. Two novel chews (Bones & Chews Dental Treats [BC]; Chewy, Inc., Dania Beach, FL and Dr. Lyon’s Grain-Free Dental Treats [DL]; Dr. Lyon’s, LLC, Dania Beach, FL) and a leading brand chew (Greenies Dental Treats [GR]; Mars Petcare US, Franklin, TN) were tested. Each day, one chew was provided 4 h after mealtime. All tooth scoring data were analyzed using the Mixed Models procedure of SAS (version 9.4; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Halimeter data were analyzed using repeated measures using the Mixed Models procedure of SAS and testing for differences due to treatment, time, and treatment * time interaction. Data are reported as LS means ± SEM with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. DL performed at the same level as the leading brand, GR, as both resulted in lower (P < 0.05) plaque coverage and thickness scores, calculus coverage scores, and day 27 volatile sulfur concentrations compared with CT. Additionally, DL reduced (P < 0.05) volatile sulfur compounds on day 14 when compared with CT. BC reduced (P < 0.05) calculus coverage and day 27 volatile sulfur concentrations compared with CT. Our results suggest that the dental chews tested in this study may help slow the development and/or progression of PD in dogs.