Evaluation of the prophylactic action of veterinary dental gel containing Aloe vera and green tea on calculus formation in dogs submitted to periodontal treatment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of veterinary dental gel containing Aloe vera and green tea, with and without a water additive in preventing calculus formation in dogs after all animals were initially submitted to periodontal treatment. The preventive treatment was performed on 72 dogs, which 24 received treatment with the veterinary dental gel (G1), 24 received treatment with the gel associated with a water additive (G2), and 24 dogs did not receive any treatment (G3). The animals also were subdivided into three groups according to their diet. The gel was applied directly to the dogs' teeth and 500 ml of the additive was added to the water, three times a week. The animals' teeth were photographed every 30 days to observe the time of new deposition of dental calculus. The images were analyzed by MATLAB. The dogs in G1 showed average of new accumulation of dental calculus of 254.8 days, those in G2 also showed an average return of 258.6 days, and G3 showed an average return of 156.7 days. There was a statistical difference between G1 - G3 (p-value = 0,000007885) and G2 - G3 (p-value = 0,00004568). There was no statistical difference between the different food groups. We concluded that the gel used in this study, associated or not with the water additive, was effective in helping to maintain the dental health of the animals for a prolonged period after the surgical procedure to prevent the calculus return.