Correlation of Age with Distribution of Periodontitis-Related Bacteria in Japanese Dogs

Abstract

ABSTRACT. We analyzed the distribution of 11 periodontitis-related bacterial species in dental plaque collected from 176 Japanese dogs divided into young (less than 2 years of age), middle-aged (2-7 years of age) and elderly (more than 8 years of age) groups using a polymerase chain reaction method. Clinical examination revealed that no dogs in the young group were affected by periodontitis, whereas the rates for gingivitis and periodontitis were high in the middle-aged and elderly groups. In addition, the total numbers of bacterial species in the middle-aged and elderly groups were significantly greater than in the young group. Our findings suggest that age is an important factor associated with the distribution of periodontitis-related bacteria and periodontal conditions in dogs. KEY WORDS: age, canine, dental plaque, periodontitis, periodontitis-related bacteria.doi: 10.1292/jvms.13-0041; J. Vet. Med. Sci. 75 (7): [999][1000][1001] 2013 Periodontal diseases are quite commonly identified in dogs. The diseases are composed of gingivitis, a reversible condition that features limited inflammation of gingival tissue, and periodontitis, which indicates destruction of periodontal tissues, such as the cementum, periodontal ligaments and supportive bone [8]. It has been summarized that the distribution frequency of gingivitis in dogs aged from 0 to 14 years old (average; approximately 6 years old) ranges from 95-100%, while that of periodontitis is from 50-70% [3].Our previous study analyzed the distribution of 10 human periodontitis-related species in dogs and found that specific species, such as Tannerella forsythia and Campylobacter rectus, were frequently detected [5]. In addition, Porphyromonas gulae, a major pathogen of periodontitis in dogs [2], was also detected at a high frequency [5]. On the other hand, the detection rates of other species, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Capnocytophaga ochracea, Capnocytophaga sputigena, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Eikenella corrodens, were quite low [5]. In addition, several periodontopathic species were shown to be possibly transmitted between dogs and their owners, although the distribution of periodontopathic species in both is generally different [12].In the present study, to investigate the influence of the age of dogs on the periodontal conditions and the distribution of the periodontitis-related species, 176 Japanese dogs were analyzed. On the basis of the age classifications of young (less than 2 years of age), middle-aged (2-7 years of age) and elderly (more than 8 years of age) dogs [6], the 176 dogs were classified into the young (n=39), middle-aged (n=62) and elderly (n=75) groups. The protocols used in this study were approved by

Application of a portable gas chromatograph for quantitative measurement of canine oral malodor

“…5), but this correlation was not signifi cant, probably because of the small number of dogs used in the present study. Our results are in agreement with previous results that periodontal disease is the most widespread oral disease in dogs and incidence increases with advancing age (Kortegaard et al, 2008;Hirai et al, 2013). Further work is also required to confi rm this hypothesis.…”

Molecular-level evaluation of selected periodontal pathogens from subgingival regions in canines and humans with periodontal disease

“…In addition, it has been confirmed that age plays a significant part in the progression of periodontitis in both species [1519]. Yamasaki et al [40] demonstrated that the total bacteria count in dogs is positively correlated with animal age.…”

Age-dependent aggravation of oral malodor and periodontal disease in dogs

“…Oral malodor and periodontal disease are very common in adult humans and dogs. In the previous study (Hirai et al, 2013), we observed a positive correlation between age and periodontal disease in 176 privately owned pet dogs. In the present study, we examined the association between age and oral malodor in 43 laboratory Beagle dogs.…”