Banfield releases new data on periodontal disease; top breeds identified

Portland, Ore.

-- The risks for periodontal disease increase 20 percent each year of a pet’s life, according to data just released by Banfield Applied Research and Knowledge.

In fact, nearly four out of five dogs over the age of 3 show signs of oral disease, reports Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, Banfield’s chief medical officer.

“In our practice, 68 percent of cats and 78 percent of dogs over the age of 3 have oral disease, and that is usually periodontal disease.”

The breeds at greatest risk for developing periodontal disease include Toy Poodle, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Papillion, Standard Poodle, Pomeranian, Shetland Sheepdog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dachshund and Havanese.Data from the survey was generated from a case-control study conducted by Banfield and included 50,000 animals with periodontal disease and 200,000 control animals.

Even more insidious, Klausner says, is the relationship between periodontal disease and other illnesses.

In fact, these data corroborate a very strong link between the presence of periodontal disease and heart disease.

“The worse the periodontal disease was, the stronger the link between endocarditis and cardiomyopathy,” Klausner adds.

“It’s an important disease, and I think some people minimize it sometimes, because it is not associated with mortality. It reduces the quality of the pet’s life,” Klausner explains.

Published estimates are that two-thirds of pet owners believe dental care is important, but only 63 percent of these owners had their pet’s teeth cleaned previously. Additionally, only 22 percent of pet owners have ever brushed their pet’s teeth.

Because February is Pet Dental Health Month, Klausner adds, “There is a lot more we can be doing about educating dogs and cats to the importance of this disease so they can take action to reduce the damage that is done by periodontal disease.”