Rooney Nicola J, Wonham Katharine L, McIndoe Katherine S, Casey Rachel A, Blackwell Emily J, Browne William J
School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford BS29 6BN, UK.
Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth EX10 0NU, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Jun 23;11(7):1869. doi: 10.3390/ani11071869.
Periodontal disease is one of the most common conditions affecting dogs worldwide and is reported to be particularly prevalent in racing greyhounds. A range of potential risk factors have been hypothesised. Previous research has suggested that regular tooth brushing can reduce both calculus and gingivitis, but the frequency required is unclear. Here, we report a controlled blinded in situ trial, in which kennel staff brushed 160 racing greyhounds' teeth (living at six kennel establishments), either weekly, daily or never over a two-month period. All of the visible teeth were scored for calculus and gingivitis, using previously validated scales. We calculated average scores for each of the three teeth groups and overall whole mouth scores, averaging the teeth groups. Changes were compared to the baseline. After two months, the total calculus scores (controlling for baseline) were significantly different in the three treatment groups, (F = 10.76, < 0.001) with both weekly and daily brushing resulting in significant reductions. Gingivitis was also significantly different between groups (F = 4.57, = 0.012), but in this case, only daily brushing resulted in a significant reduction. Although the dogs in different kennels varied significantly in their levels of both calculus (F = 8.64, < 0.001) and gingivitis (F = 3.51 = 0.005), the intervention was similarly effective in all of the establishments. The teeth groups varied, and the incisors were not significantly affected by the treatment. Since the trainers implementing the routine, reported a minimal time commitment and positive experiences, we suggest that daily brushing is recommended for racing greyhounds, and that any instructions or demonstrations should include attention to all teeth groups including the incisors. Similar trials need to be conducted with retired greyhounds since these have been shown to present particularly high levels of periodontal disease.
牙周病是影响全球犬类的最常见病症之一，据报道在赛犬中尤为普遍。一系列潜在风险因素已被提出假设。先前的研究表明，定期刷牙可以减少牙结石和牙龈炎，但所需的频率尚不清楚。在此，我们报告一项对照双盲原位试验，在试验中，犬舍工作人员在两个月的时间里，每周、每天或从不为160只赛犬（生活在六个犬舍机构）刷牙。使用先前验证的量表对所有可见牙齿的牙结石和牙龈炎进行评分。我们计算了三个牙齿组各自的平均分数以及整个口腔的总体分数，对牙齿组进行平均。将变化与基线进行比较。两个月后，三个治疗组的牙结石总分（控制基线后）有显著差异（F = 10.76，P < 0.001），每周和每天刷牙都导致显著减少。各组之间的牙龈炎也有显著差异（F = 4.57，P = 0.012），但在这种情况下，只有每天刷牙导致显著减少。尽管不同犬舍的犬只在牙结石（F = 8.64，P < 0.001）和牙龈炎（F = 3.51，P = 0.005）水平上有显著差异，但干预措施在所有机构中同样有效。牙齿组有所不同，门牙受治疗的影响不显著。由于实施该常规操作的训练师报告说时间投入最少且体验良好，我们建议赛犬每天刷牙，并且任何指导或示范都应包括对所有牙齿组（包括门牙）的关注。需要对退役赛犬进行类似试验，因为已证明这些犬只患牙周病的水平特别高。
