Anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning does not help gum disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of anesthesia-free dentistry (AFD) versus anesthetic dentistry for treatment of periodontal disease in dogs. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted between April 16, 2014, and October 21, 2014. Client-owned dogs were assigned an initial periodontal diagnostic test strip (PDTS) score (from 0 [white] to 5 [dark yellow]) during conscious oral examination using commercially available rapid test strips to assess salivary concentration of thiols (OraStripdx; PDX Biotech LLC). Eligible dogs included those with PDTS score ≥ 3 and no previous dental cleaning (control group) and those with any PDTS score and a history of AFD in the previous 6 weeks. Because of this timeframe, the initial PDTS scores for the experimental group also served as a post-AFD PDTS score. All dogs in the control group and 14 of 23 dogs in the experimental group underwent anesthetized dental procedures. Periodontal disease was assessed under anesthesia, and PDTS scores were reassessed at recheck examination. Results were compared between groups. RESULTS: 46 dogs were included, 23 in each group. Mean PDTS score was significantly lower at recheck examination after anesthetic dentistry for both groups. Mean initial PDTS score did not differ significantly between groups; however, the mean PDTS score at recheck examination was significantly lower for dogs after an anesthetized dental procedure (0.087; range, 0 to 1) versus AFD (4.35; range, 3 to 5). CONCLUSIONS: No medical benefit was provided by AFD. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: AFD is not a viable alternative to an anesthetized dental procedure for periodontal disease mitigation.