Investigation of the relationship between saliva pH and dental and gingival diseases in dogs

Objective: Dental and gingival diseases of dogs brought to the clinic were evaluated by inspection method and saliva was collected with a sterile pipette and saliva pH was recorded with a pH metre. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between oral, dental and gingival diseases and salivary pH in dogs. Materials and Methods: The study material consisted of dogs of different ages, genders, species, and breeds brought to the clinics of the Department of Surgery at Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and surrounding clinics for examination and treatment, with the consent of their owners. The owners were informed about the thesis study and asked if their dog had any oral and dental problems. If there was a disease, it was noted whether the dog had received any treatment for oral and dental diseases before. It was asked whether the patient had regular dental check-ups, whether their teeth were brushed, if so, how long they had been brushing and how often they brushed. In addition, information was obtained about the patient's feeding habits. A detailed oral and dental examination was performed on the patients, and dental and gingival diseases observed in the patients were recorded. Saliva samples were collected from the patient's mouth using a sterile pipette, and the salivary pH was measured and recorded using a Horiba Laquatwin®pH-22 pH Meter. Results: In this thesis study, a total of 302 dogs (155 males and 147 females) were included in the study. In terms of age, the lowest number of geriatric dogs (109 months and older) (n=32) and the highest number of adult dogs (19-108 months) (n=152) were recorded. The dogs included in the study were determined as small (n=105), medium (n=86) and large breed (n=111) according to breed size. It was determined that most of the dogs (n=191) in the study were fed mixed diet and the least of the dogs (n=7) consumed wet food. According to the type of water consumed, it was determined that dogs consuming drinking water (n=179) were more than dogs consuming tap water (n=123). In the dogs participating in the study, plaque was most common in canine teeth (n=217), gingivitis was most common in premolar teeth (n=116), calculus was most common in premolar teeth (n=117), periodontitis (PD) was most common in premolar teeth (n=77), tooth wear was most common in canine teeth (n=53), dental caries was most common in premolar teeth (n=71), and tooth loss was most common in incisive teeth (n=57). When the salivary pH values of dogs with and without disease were compared, it was found that salivary pH increased in the presence of disease. When the mean salivary pH was analyzed according to age groups, it was found that male puppies had lower salivary pH than other young, adult and geriatric male dogs, while female puppies had lower salivary pH than young and adult female dogs. There was no significant difference between the salivary pH of male and female dogs. When the mean salivary pH was analyzed according to breed size, it was found that the salivary pH of male large breed dogs was higher than that of male small and medium breed dogs, while the salivary pH of large breed dogs was higher than that of small breed dogs in female dogs. In the presence of the disease, the salivary pH of male puppies was lower than that of other age groups, and the salivary pH of female puppies was lower than that of young and adult female dogs. There was no significant difference in salivary pH between the presence and absence of disease. When the salivary pH was analyzed according to the diet of the patients, the salivary pH of puppies consuming dry food was found to be lower than geriatric dogs. Salivary pH of mixed-fed puppies was lower than that of young, adult, and geriatric dogs. Salivary pH of young dogs was higher than geriatric dogs. Salivary pH of young dogs consuming dry food was lower than that of young dogs fed mixed diet. When the salivary pH was analyzed according to the type of water used, the pH of puppies consuming tap water was lower than that of young and adult dogs, while the pH of puppies consuming drinking water was lower than that of young, adult and geriatric dogs. Salivary pH of adult dogs consuming tap water was higher than adult dogs consuming drinking water. The pH of the saliva of dogs with dental and gingival infections consuming tap and drinking water was higher than the pH of the saliva of dogs without the disease consuming the same type of water. Conclusion: Salivary pH was found to be low in all age groups in sedated and/or anesthetized dogs. There was no significant difference in salivary pH between genders. Salivary pH was found to be high in dogs with detected diseases. Dogs without plaque and calculus had lower pH values than dogs with these diseases. Keywords: Dog, Tooth, Gums, Disease, Saliva, pH