This article is sponsored content brought to you by Boehringer Ingelheim.
Periodontal disease is one of the most common—and most underestimated—conditions we see in practice. By age three, more than 80% of dogs show evidence of disease1, often without any obvious outward signs. While clients tend to associate dental issues with visible calculus or bad breath, we understand that plaque is the true initiator. Gingivitis develops early, and it is the pathogenic, subgingival plaque that ultimately drives irreversible periodontal destruction.
What makes the condition even more challenging is how quickly it returns. After a professional clean, plaque begins to reform within 24 hours2, and periodontal pockets can be reinfected within two weeks without consistent homecare.2 This reinforces that dental treatment is never a single intervention—it is the management of a lifelong, chronic condition.
Beyond the Mouth: Why Prevention Matters
Periodontal disease affects far more than the oral cavity. Associations with cardiac, renal, and hepatic pathology have been documented in dogs2, with risk increasing alongside severity. Plaque-driven inflammation and transient bacteraemia do not remain local; the resulting systemic inflammatory response is increasingly recognised as a genuine welfare concern. The WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines strongly reinforce this, identifying untreated dental disease as both a medical and welfare issue.2
Supporting clients after a dental procedure means more than resolving current pathology—it requires equipping them with homecare they can realistically maintain to protect both the pet’s health and the owner’s investment.
Although daily brushing remains the gold standard, with clear evidence that increased frequency improves outcomes, few owners continue brushing daily over the long term.2 Even highly motivated clients often struggle with consistency. This is where passive homecare becomes essential.
Diets, chews, and certain additives all offer varying levels of support, but not all dental chews work the same way. Mechanical abrasion alone rarely addresses the microbial component that drives early plaque formation.
OraVet®: A Different Approach
OraVet Dental Hygiene Chews distinguish themselves through the inclusion of delmopinol, a well-studied antiplaque agent long used in human dentistry. As the dog chews, delmopinol disperses throughout the oral cavity and coats teeth, tongue and gingiva, forming a protective barrier that disrupts the salivary pellicle and interferes with bacterial adhesion—the earliest step in plaque formation. This preventive action extends beyond the mechanical effect common to most chews.
Delmopinol may also support cleaning of the rostral teeth—an area where traditional chews often underperform due to limited contact. The WSAVA Guidelines specifically note this advantage: the texture of OraVet chews allows teeth to penetrate the treat, helping clean to the gingival margin.
For most clients, passive homecare is the only sustainable long-term option.2 Having a product that combines mechanical action with a proven barrier mechanism offers a practical, evidence-based tool for mitigating disease progression.
Visit Boehringer Ingelheim
References:
1. Kortegaard, H.E., Eriksen, T. and Baelum, V. (2008), Periodontal disease in research beagle dogs – an epidemiological study. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 49: 610-616.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2008.00609.x
2. Niemiec, B., Gawor, J., Nemec, A., Clarke, D., McLeod, K., Tutt, C., Gioso, M., Steagall, P.V., Chandler, M., Morgenegg, G. and Jouppi, R. (2020), World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines. J Small Anim Pract, 61: E36-E161. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13132
3. Data on File at Merial Inc. (Evaluation and comparison of the effectiveness of 35-mg delmopinol-coated chews on the reduction of plaque, calculus, gingivitis and halitosis in adult beagle dogs) study number: MERDENC00112.
