- Most owners don't brush their dog's teeth despite common mouth issues.
- A new spray developed by scientists neutralizes dog's breath and reduces bacteria.
- Long-term use showed safe, continued bacteria reduction and less odor.
Have you ever tried brushing your dog’s teeth to get rid of its bad breath? It’s not a fun chore for either party. But scientists may have found an easier way to cure dogs’ halitosis.
A study published last month in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry described a new oral spray that neutralizes dogs’ smelly breath.
While some pet dental sprays are already on the market, this study aimed to create a sustainable and natural product that was also effective.
The results
The team looked at 10 dogs whose owners had consented to them being part of the study because of their bad breath. “The researchers sprayed polyphenols extracted from molasses into each dog’s mouth” and found that after an hour, their breath odor was negligible, according to a news release Monday from the American Chemical Society.
Hongye Li, the study’s lead author, said in the news release that the odor wasn’t just masked by the spray; the bacteria associated with bad breath was actually reduced.
Li said the spray treatment is like a “sponge, a switch and a gardener” in how it fights bacteria. “First, the polyphenols act like a ‘molecular sponge,’ directly binding to and neutralizing existing bad odor molecules. Second, they act as a ‘switch’ to turn off specific bacterial enzymes that produce foul smells. Finally, they work as a ‘gardener’ to weed out the populations of bad odor-causing bacteria over time.”
Looking ahead
The scientists continued to spray the dogs’ mouths for 30 days to test the long-term effects, and they saw significant reduction of bacteria in each dog’s mouth, along with less pungent aromas.
According to a study published in BMC Veterinary Journal, periodontal disease in dogs is largely preventable. But, it remains one of the most common health issues for dogs.
Most people choose to deal with their pet’s smelly breath rather than brush their teeth daily like veterinarians recommend, but this can lead to more than just a bad odor; dogs can experience tooth decay, painful inflammation and infections if owners never take care of their dental hygiene.
If daily tooth brushing is not a realistic solution for a pet owner, this new spray may be the answer to their problems. The team said they hope it can be “a simple, safe and sustainable way to keep family pets healthy” and “ultimately bring pets and their families closer together.”
The solution is not yet on the market. The researchers said they’ll continue to test it and other possible answers to canine bad breath.