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Dental Prophylaxis in Dogs
Franeková, Tereza ; Karlasová, Barbora (advisor) ; Marcela, Marcela (referee)
The thesis explores the canine oral cavity, namely, the teeth and the most common dental diseases. Dental injury and disease in dogs is a topic of growing interest in veterinary science. The theoretical section discusses the anatomy of the head, oral cavity and teeth. It presents general knowledge of veterinary dentistry and a list of the most common oral cavity diseases. The practical section explores the suitability and the effectiveness of two prevention methods against the build-up of dental plaque, respectively, against the spread of periodontitis.
Diseases affecting the periodontium are increasingly common in dogs; they are deemed to be the most frequent diseases affecting small animals above five years of age. There are two most common periodontal diseases. The first, gingivitis, is a reversible inflammation of the gum. The second, periodontitis, is essentially irreversible without specialized treatment and often leads to loss of teeth.
The major criterion for maintaining a healthy oral cavity is prevention. Therefore, two methods of home-based prevention are compared in the practical part of the thesis. First, all patients underwent a full-scale dental treatment in a veterinary centre, that is, a comprehensive ultrasonic cleaning and polishing with dental cleaning paste. Then, ascophyllum nodosum, a seaweed also known as Norwegian kelp, was mixed within the daily food ration of half of the patients. In this way, the teeth were being cleaned passively. The second half of the patients had their teeth cleaned with Orozyme, an enzyme-formula oral hygiene gel for dogs, and this way an active teeth cleaning method was explored. Six weeks after the initial dental treatment, a dental plaque identification test was carried out in a veterinary centre. Statistical analysis of the resulting data did not signal substantial differences between the treatment with Norwegian kelp and that of using the oral gel. A combination of the two techniques is, therefore, recommended as the best prevention strategy against plaque build-up.
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