Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK.
Br J Nutr. 2011 Oct;106 Suppl 1:S124-7. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511000821.
Many factors influence the oral health status of cats and dogs. The present study aimed to elucidate the influence of feeding home-prepared (HP) food v. commercial pet food on oral health parameters in these animals and to investigate the effect of home oral hygiene on oral health. The study surveyed 17,184 dogs and 6371 cats visiting over 700 Polish veterinary surgeries in 2006-7 during a Pet Smile activity organised by the Polish Small Animal Veterinary Association. All animals underwent conscious examinations to assess dental deposits, size of mandibular lymph nodes and gingival health. An oral health index (OHI) ranging from 0 to 8 was calculated for each animal by combining examination scores, where 0 indicates good oral health and 8 indicates poorest oral health. Information was collected on age, diet and home oral hygiene regimens. There was a significant effect of diet on the OHI (P < 0.001) whereby feeding the HP diet increased the probability of an oral health problem in both cats and dogs. There was a significant beneficial effect of feeding only commercial pet food compared with the HP diet when at least part of the diet was composed of dry pet food. Daily tooth brushing or the offering of daily dental treats were both effective in significantly reducing the OHI in both cats and dogs compared with those receiving sporadic or no home oral hygiene. Feeding only a dry diet was beneficial for oral health in cats and dogs. Tooth brushing and the offering of dental treats were very effective in maintaining oral health, provided they were practised daily.
许多因素会影响猫和狗的口腔健康状况。本研究旨在阐明喂食自制（HP）食物与商业宠物食品对这些动物口腔健康参数的影响，并研究家庭口腔卫生对口腔健康的影响。该研究调查了 2006 年至 2007 年期间，在波兰小动物兽医协会组织的 Pet Smile 活动中，来自波兰 700 多家兽医诊所的 17184 只狗和 6371 只猫。所有动物都接受了有意识的检查，以评估牙齿沉积物、下颌淋巴结大小和牙龈健康状况。通过将检查评分相结合，为每只动物计算了口腔健康指数（OHI），范围从 0 到 8，其中 0 表示口腔健康良好，8 表示口腔健康最差。收集了有关年龄、饮食和家庭口腔卫生方案的信息。饮食对 OHI 有显著影响（P < 0.001），即喂食 HP 饮食会增加猫和狗出现口腔健康问题的可能性。与 HP 饮食相比，只喂食商业宠物食品时，如果饮食中至少有一部分是干宠物食品，则对口腔健康有显著的有益影响。与接受偶尔或没有家庭口腔卫生的猫和狗相比，每天刷牙或提供日常牙齿护理都能显著降低 OHI。仅喂食干粮对猫和狗的口腔健康有益。如果每天刷牙和提供牙齿护理，那么对维持口腔健康非常有效。
