Are Dogs Mouths Cleaner Than Human S Mouths

Some dogs are predisposed to periodontal disease and other dental issues.

Are dogs mouths cleaner than human s mouths. When you find yourself in the presence of a person who lets their dog lick their face or mouth even you re likely to hear that it s okay because a. In fact dogs have more than 600 different types of bacteria in their mouths which is a similar number to the 615 and counting types of bacteria harvard researchers have found in human mouths. A dog who has its teeth brushed eats dental chews and visits the vet regularly probably has a cleaner mouth than a stray dog. These are bacteria that live inside the mouth and seldom cause any type of issue for the host.

It also can depend on the dog. Although there s a vast overlap of bacteria in the mouths of both species harvey considers the question of which one is cleaner to be irrelevant. While the vast majority of germs that dogs have in their mouths aren t zoonotic which means that they can t be passed on to humans there are some exceptions. The short answer is no.

Dog mouths are not cleaner than our mouths. That is offset by the fact that much of that bacteria may not be healthy for humans. It depends on the dental hygiene practices used by the pet parent. Some people say that a dog s mouth is cleaner than a human s mouth is but the mouths of both species certainly have what is called natural flora.

But that doesn t mean that our mouths are clean. Many studies have suggested that dogs can carry as many as 600 different types of bacteria in their mouths. Is a dog s mouth cleaner than a human s. In fact studies have shown that hundreds of unique bacterial species can be identified in the saliva of dogs.

In light of a recent news story about a woman nearly dying from an infection sourced to her dog s saliva dog licking is in the news.