Effect of age on dental plaque deposition and its control by ultrasonic scaling, dental hygiene chew, and chlorhexidine (0.2%w/v) in dogs

Background and Aim: Periodontitis is the most prevalent inflammatory dental disease caused by a lack of oral hygiene measures in domestic animals. The periodontal disease complex arises as a result of bacterial biofilm deposition termed as plaque on the tooth surface. Lack of cleaning measures either mechanical or chemical credit for the condition. The present study was conducted to screen the animals for the presence of plaque deposition, gingivitis, along with various control measures for the same. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two dogs of different age groups were evaluated for the presence of plaque and gingivitis by scoring method to estimate the extent of severity. Scaling of the tooth surface was done by ultrasonic scaling machine to remove the plaques, and the animals were divided into four treatment groups to study the effects of dental hygiene chew and chlorhexidine for control of plaque. Results: Present study revealed 71.87% and 34.37% of the screened animals were having plaque deposition and varied degrees of gingivitis respectively. A positive coefficient of correlation (r) of 0.89 (p<0.05) between advancing age and plaque deposition and 0.85 (p<0.05) between age and level of gingivitis was obtained. Two groups receiving dental chew and 0.2% w/v chlorhexidine showed lower plaque deposits, and the fourth treatment group receiving both dental chew and chlorhexidine showed 100% animals remained free from fresh plaque deposits. Conclusion: The present study showed a strong positive relationship between age and plaque deposition and gingivitis. The study also showed that oral hygiene measures such as use of dental hygiene chew and chlorhexidine application can reduce plaque deposition and periodontitis in domesticated canines.