The World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines were updated August 1, 2018.
They now include a section on dental home care.
The two major types of home plaque control are active and passive. Both types can be effective if performed correctly and consistently. Active homecare is currently the gold standard.
Active homecare involves the participation of the pet’s owner, such as brushing or rinsing. Passive methods are typically based on chewing behaviors via treats or specially formulated diets.
For more than 25 years, the diehard, board certified veterinary dentists have pounded away that the only way to take care of pets’ teeth at home was daily tooth brushing. Nothing else was acceptable! However, many are softening that stance, Karlin Yaeger, Global Sales Manager for Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc., says. “Two years ago, a couple of dental experts confessed that they have preached nothing but brushing for home care for the last two decades. Sadly, pet owner compliance for brushing has not moved one bit and stands at approximately 2 percent. In other words, this practice has a 98 percent failure.”
“MaxiGuard Oral Cleansing Wipes are hitting the happy medium,” Yaeger says. “They still provide the mechanical action the experts want via the textured wipe, but the pet acceptance is substantially better. There are significant advantages the wipes have over brushing, such as taste acceptance, faster, less messy and more hygienic to name a few. I think we are seeing that this is close enough to brushing that some veterinarians offer the wipes as a viable an option to brushing.”
Source: WSAVA, August 2018. Link-1. Link-2.
It has been shown that active homecare is most effective on the rostral teeth (incisors and canines). In contrast, passive homecare (chew based) is more effective on the caudal teeth (premolars and molars). This difference is intuitive because the front teeth are easier to for clients to access, while passive homecare is more effective on the caudal teeth where chewing occurs.
Also see: Sponsored Content – My MAXI/GUARD® surprise in Better Homes and Garden, Animal Health Digest, February 20, 2018. Link.
Also see: Dental charting benefits patients, clients and practices, Animal Health Digest, AAHA, June 15, 2016. Link.
INSIGHTS: Review MAXI/GUARD® Oral Cleansing Wipes, including videos demonstrating wipe use with a cat and dog. Demonstration videos can be found at the bottom of the product page. <link>