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How clean is my dog's mouth? I have heard they have special...

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Answer by Jeni
Submitted on 9/15/2004
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Well, I do not know which is cleaner, a dog's mouth or a human's mouth, but I am hoping to find that out pretty soon. I know you guys are sick and tired of this, but I too am doing a science fair project about it. I have heard a lot of things. No a dog's mouth is not cleaner, or yes, a dog's mouth is cleaner. But I do not know which conclusion to believe. I just know that there is many answers that have been given and some of them are correct, and others are not. I hope that I can find the answer to this unsolved puzzle. I will ask my veterinarian, see what kind of bacteria is growing in the mouths, if they are good or bad bacteria, and hopefully get the right conclusion. Well, I think that if you really want to know, then do what I am doing. Do the project yourself.

Answer by ~morgan~
Submitted on 1/19/2005
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I am also doing a science project on this subject. My opinoin of whose mouth is cleaner is hard to decide because their are enzyme things in a dog's mouth that kills like a white blood cell 3/4 of the bacteria. On the other hand a human brushes their teeth, and when i did my experiment 3 i screwed up when i swabbed the mouths after i had brushed my teeth. This shows that brushing your teeth helps fight bacteria as flossing, mouthwash and fluoride do. AFter i went to my the vet and asked Dr. J. He said that it also depended on the type of bacteria, and the enviroment u live in. I think that neither of the mouths are cleaner and it varies. FOr yur science fair project you should go to yur local vet and have him/her help you count the colonies, and identify the types of bacteria

Answer by Erin
Submitted on 2/12/2005
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I have been looking up information for science fair and i know that dogs have more bacteria because they will roll around in anything to takeaway there dog scent so they can attack other prey easier. But not all bacteria is bad some are good with out bacteria you could get sick. Because not many people know but humans have two layers of bacteria 1 good layer and 1 bad layer. By using the (anti bacterial soap) you are taking away your good layer of bacteria so you now you can go home and get rid of all of your Anti bacterial soap and by the cheap stuff because now thats its winter if your good layer of bacteria is washed away by soap you can get sick. Because its now winter. Also dogs have more bacteria because we have the better bacteria that is not as bad and its smaller s it does not show as much.

Answer by dirt-track-gul
Submitted on 2/23/2005
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ok. for the ones that said that dogs mouths are not cleaner than i dont know what yall are thinking? because i have done over fifteen essays and i have found out that they are cleaner. if you dont believe me then just check this info above and below and you will see that more people say that dogs mouths are cleaner.b/c i tallied them up and the score was ( yes-8 and no-6) so ha ha ha! so what do you think now? and for HeAtHeR how old are you and you go ahead and out your research paper on there cause i want to read it! b/c my research says that they are and your says that they are not! so.... and for Jamal#33 yes dizzigs mizzoutts are def cleaner yo! way to go! if you have any questions post them on here and i will read them! peace out!

Answer by Anna Grace
Submitted on 3/1/2005
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Dogs mouths are "cleaner". In my opinion, "cleaner" means "less harmful" or kind of "good for you". Imagine you had to live off of raw meat like small animals, keep yourself clean, etc. You would probably die from diseases in a few weeks because your mouth couldn't take very harmful bacteria. Dogs, on the other hand, have very sophisticated saliva. It's able to deal with almost any kind of infectious bacteria you can dish out to it. Now imagine a dog lives as we do. It brushes its teeth twice a day, flosses, and the only thing ever put in its mouth is well-cooked food and an occasional pencil. How do you think its mouth will compare to yours? Speaking of "cleanliness", your mouth couldn't hold a candle to a dog's! You have to think about the environments!

Answer by T-Biggles
Submitted on 3/24/2005
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I have just conducted a three week long experiment in which I swabbed both human'smouths and dog's mouths and after growing the bacteria in culture dishes and letting those dishes sit in an incubator for a couple weeks with periodic checkups in between I looked at the results under a microscope after I applied the necessary gram stain materials to the bacteria specimens. These specimens yielded both gram negative and gram positive specimens with gram negative being "good" bacteria and gram positive being harmful bacteria. My results yielded more gram positive results in the dog's bacteria and more gram negative in the human'sbacteria. Thus, concluding that dog's mouths were "dirtier" than humans.

Answer by Ruby
Submitted on 4/1/2005
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I have done a Science project on this. If humans didnt eat sugar loaded foods than they would have really cleans mouths. But dogs still dont compare to our mouths. Just because they break down food faster doesnt do anything, in fact, it creates more saliva causing more bacteria to spread. This goes expecialy to the big drooling dogs. Small dogs however may not have a lot of drool but they have smaller mouths, making it easier for bacteria to spread faster. Hey, we may eat sugar, but they lick themselves half of the day! One of the petri dishes for the dogs had even grown the grey mold, fuzzy stuff, white spots, and PU!!!!!! I was afraid to even open it since I smelled it last. The human only had small white stuff.

Answer by John Schmidt
Submitted on 7/23/2005
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I have searched the veterinary society web sites and found them surprisingly lacking in information outside topics pertaining to a veterinary practice. However, I did manage to find a paper on the topic where the author attempted to use scientific methods to answer the question at hand: Is a dog's mouth cleaner than a human'smouth? The author uses a control group and professional equipment for the tests but fails to perform the statistical calculations necessary to tell us whether the results were statistically significant. Rather, the author draws conclusions based upon the results and a common sense interpretation thereof. The author also does not identify variables like the dogs' breed, age, when they ate vs. when they were swabbed, etc. The same goes for the human population. In spite of these issues, the author uses a reasonably scientific method to answer the question as opposed to simply stating conclusions, and the author's experiment provides at least an anecdotal basis for concluding that dogs do have cleaner mouths than humans. http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Current/Projects/J1327.pdf

Answer by Licious
Submitted on 7/28/2005
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I agree with heather. But the truth is the dogs mouth is definately not cleaner than humans mouth. We brush our teeth making us less prone to the rottening of bacteria in our mouth.And also if a dog's mouth is sterile, how could it transmit rabies, tetanus, pasteurella or any of the other types of infection associated with dog bites? As we all know, dogs aren't particularly fussy about where they put their tongues or what goes into their mouths. "A dog's mouth contains a lot of bacteria," says Dr. Gary "Ask the Vet". "Remember, a dog's tongue is not only his wash cloth but also his toilet paper." Not only accurate, but delicately put! So, where did the notion that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human'scome from? Doctors, evidently. It has long been noted in the medical literature that human bites are more likely to become infected than those of other mammals, including dogs. Statistics to that effect were published in journals and repeated by medical professionals, and folk wisdom took off from there.If you don't mind my falling back on a gut feeling, I'll conclude by reiterating that I have personally witnessed a human being allowing a dog to lick the inside of his mouth, and it was... unpleasant to behold. Say what you will about the relative cleanliness of the canine mouth(dogs especially) vs. the human, I'd rather be French-kissed by a human being than a dog any day. Certain human beings, that is. I don't want to leave the impression I'm easy.

Answer by Not A. Sheep
Submitted on 11/2/2005
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I am glad some people have put some facts up about the myth of dogs having cleaner mouths. Other than what's already been said, I would just like to ask: what does one consider being clean? Think about that one for a minute before going into the "different enzyme theory". The kinds of bacteria in a human mouth and a dog mouth depend on what's been in there lately. How many dead and rotten animals have you seen people chewing on lately? We already know the other things dogs end up with in their mouths. Regarding what one considers clean or dirty, how about parasites? Hookworms and roundworms are transmissible to humans. I have even heard varying answers regarding tapeworms, but can't say for certain without a parasitologist's opinion.

Answer by micro_major
Submitted on 11/20/2005
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some of you guys need to put more thought into whether or not you believe a website. Just because its on the Internet doesn't mean its true. Internet reports try to tell us that Elvis is still alive, aliens stole babies...and so on. When considering claims made by the authors of websites, check their credentials, make sure all claims can be supported by SCIENTIFIC evidence (note - my dog licked my wound and it got better - IS NOT a scientifically proven experiment. Think for a minute all the substances that may have come into contact with that wound. You need to eliminate every other possibility, both external (antiseptics) and internal (immune response, or the bacterium responsible for the infection may have entered the lysogenic cycle of growth) Google does not hold all the answers.....

Answer by Tomboy
Submitted on 12/17/2005
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I am doing a science fair project on this and I have to have a report on it before 12/21/05 or else my teacher will pick on for me. I think that a dogs mouth is cleaner than a humans mouth because if you got bit by a human the germs that the dude might have could be bad germs and human germs are harmful to humans, but if you got bit by a dog and if the dog has bad germs (other than rabies) you could not get hurt unless it punctured your skin and had to got o the hospital because dog germs are harmless to humans. Now where I got my answer to this question was I went to google and typed in Are dog mouths cleaner than human mouths? and I went to the website that says Dog mouth VS Human Mouth or go to Ask Jeeves and type in ur ques and there will be alot of websites. UR welcome!!! LOL! Tomboy-Alexa

Answer by bb49
Submitted on 7/28/2006
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has anyone ever thought of this hypothetical?? (1) dogs and humans have coexisted for a very long time. (2) dogs love to lick people and (unless you are scared of germs or dogs in general) people either don't mind or like it. (3) as stated above: dogs mouths have very different bacteria and can clean (at least) their wounds. so imagine this: dogs liking peoples wounds, skin, and perhaps (though gross) their teeth is very beneficial to humans at least when we cant brush our teeth or take care of our skin with ointment, soap, moisturizers etc. basically I'm saying that cavemen type people let their dogs like them because it helped take care of their bodies... I've never read this anywhere, I'm just speculating.

Answer by Mary Montgomery-Bacteriology Student
Submitted on 11/9/2006
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jamal#33? get an education! thats just sad!! I would have to agree with sabrina green and lynday crowe. They made excellent observations!But of course then there are the people who say theve done an expirament and humans mouth turn out cleaner. SO which is true? Ive been doing this project for 3 months now and it isnt as easy as you people might think. Different types of bacteria are located at different parts of the mouth. The "flora" (a mixture of organisms at the anatomical site) (anatomical site is any part of the body that has bacteria) in our mouths consist of many many types of bacteria. (so in this case the anatomical site is your mouth) There are many disagreements for this question because it depends were you took the slaiva sample in the dogs mouth and the humans mouth. Bacteria travels everywhere. Your constantly swallowing bacteria every millasecond! So bacteria doesnt stay in one place of the mouth. And some germs dogs have, humans are immune too. So even if a germ a dog has is bad for another dog, it doesnt mean its bad for a human. So i would have to agree with the people who said a dogs mouth is cleener, AND the people who said it isnt. Good luck young scientists!! -Mary Montgomery

Answer by expert
Submitted on 3/22/2007
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I heard on a 60 minutes or 20/20 special - can't remember which program - anyway it is a myth that dogs have cleaner mouths. They eat poop, eat dirty bones with old rotten meat attached and/or raw meat, and they lick their private parts as well as any other dogs private parts they come into contact with. Yes- they have a special enzyme, but I would never allow a dog to lick my wound or lick my face - YUCK! It's not that hard to figure out. My neighbor was telling my 8 year old the other day that his dog's mouth was cleaner than my son's and I had to laugh. He's such a know it all - or so he thinks. I always make my kids wash their hands after being around dogs and touching the backyard toys in my neighbors yard that his dog has chewed on. I hope this helps!!!

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Question by Tonya
Submitted on 11/6/2003
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Health Care Issues FAQ
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How clean is my dog's mouth? I have heard they have special enzymes that make their mouth cleaner than a human's mouth. Is this true?

Answer by goldee
Submitted on 11/21/2003
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No. Not cleaner. However dogs have less dental problems because they chew on bones which help to clean their teeth. Give a dog a diet of meat, cakes and chocolates and you'll give the dog rotten teeth.

Answer by amanda brooks
Submitted on 12/24/2003
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I think a dogs mouth is not even close to being as clean as a humans and their breath is to letters PU!

Answer by Lyndsey Crowe
Submitted on 12/30/2003
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I am doing a Science Fair project on Dogs mouths compared to Humans! And I have come to find that the saliva which is in a dogs mouth is a whole lot cleaner then that of which is in a humans!! The way it is determined is since we eat so many produced meats and other bacterial items in which dogs do not eat! Their mouths do not hold as much bacteria as ours do!

Answer by Joyce
Submitted on 1/11/2004
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I just did a science project, and i concluded that a dogs mouth grows bacteria faster, and has more types, but dogs also don't brush their teeth, and if people didn't then their teeth would rot out, but your dog doesn't have any rotten teeth, does it?.....

Answer by put
Submitted on 1/31/2004
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I talked to a vet and he said the littler the dog the more bacteria. But I don't get that. I am also doing a project.

Answer by ~Snickerz~
Submitted on 2/17/2004
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i want to know where i could go to find a website that lists the common bacteria found in a dogs mouth? does anyone know where i could go i too have to do a project and its due tomorrow and i only have 4 more pages to write:)

Answer by angie
Submitted on 3/6/2004
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I just got done doing an experiment on that for science fair and dogs mouths are definitely not cleaner than a humans. They just have antiseptic in their saliva

Answer by jamal#33
Submitted on 3/18/2004
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dizzigs mizzouuts are def cleaner yo

Answer by howdy hi ho
Submitted on 3/18/2004
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Lyndsey Crowe---you dont know nuthin hun

Answer by dog pie
Submitted on 4/1/2004
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I'm doing this for my science fair pro. and i know a dog is not cleaner in the mouth oh and howdy hi ho if you ask me your the dumb one here (burn on your butt) Tonya its OK to ask questions

Answer by kerpolio
Submitted on 4/19/2004
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hey im doing my sience fair project on dogs,cats, and humans mouths to see whats cleaner and i cant find any websites....HELP

Answer by budbud
Submitted on 4/25/2004
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i think that a dogs mouth is cleaner because they have special enzymes for braking down food quickly.

Answer by sarah
Submitted on 5/8/2004
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I am also doing a science fair project but i realized that dogs have cleaner mouths. Is antiseptic the enzyme that makes dog mouth's cleaner? I found a couple websites that can help. Just type into google: Dog or people mouths cleaner and it will give u a whole bunch of websites.

Answer by Pammy
Submitted on 5/16/2004
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Well, I wonder which one is cleaner. Some say that its no and others say its yes. I'm also doing a Science fair about this but its to difficult to find sites to tell us the truth. Well, I hope someone can answer me and tell why they are cleaner.

Answer by Sarah S.
Submitted on 5/16/2004
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Thanks for the help. Oh and I think that dogs mouths are cleaner because if they needed a tooth brush there teeth would be rotted out by now.

Answer by nita
Submitted on 5/20/2004
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i found out that it matters, if you are feeding the dog horrible fatty foods, the dogs mouth will have more bacteria which will lead the dog to a dirtier mouth, if you keep your dog on a healthy diet, the enzymes that break down the food, will take most of the harmful bacteria, which makes your dogs cleaner then a humans...i did this in 7th grade for an end of the year project and we r learning about it know in 10th grade..so trust me...and your welcome

Answer by ~Lisa~
Submitted on 6/20/2004
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I think... I'm not sure... but I think that dogs mouths are not cleaner then humans because they lick there butts and other parts! And that's not very healthy if u ask me.

Answer by Jennifer
Submitted on 6/27/2004
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I am doing a science fair project now on dogs mouths but of what I have heard dogs mouths are cleaner.

Answer by bizo
Submitted on 7/9/2004
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i hav done a scientific project on this subject and it is scientificly proven that dogs mouthes are not cleaner than humans

Answer by heather
Submitted on 8/4/2004
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sorry bizo nothing in sci is actually proved because conditions in each experiment, though they may look the same, never are. Be-cuz experiments r never perfect, the results can never be fully trusted. At the most a concluesion of multiple experiments that resulted in " similar" outcomes would be called a theory!! By the way, there is NO scientific evidence stating ANY animal's mouth is dirtier than human's or other animals mouths But good answer!

Answer by bob flo
Submitted on 8/6/2004
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dogs mouts are most def.dirtyer than humans.... it culd be by just a litle but still.Most dogs dogs eat,drink and lick funny places..

Answer by katie
Submitted on 8/26/2004
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I am doing a project bout dis and i think that both mouths are da same! dats wat i think

Answer by derrick
Submitted on 9/1/2004
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I DONT EVEN KNOW AN I DONT EVEN CARE

Answer by godofscience
Submitted on 9/9/2004
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well if you ask me, you guys are all complete fags.

Answer by kneed to know...
Submitted on 9/10/2004
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it's germy no matter what!

Answer by lena lavigne
Submitted on 9/15/2004
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I've heard that dogs have more bacteria in there mouths more than humans and cats because they eat things that humans and cats wouldn't eat. Also humans brush their teeth, and that gets out some bacteria in their mouth. dogs and cats dont bruch their teeth, but they can get cleaned at the vet. i am an 8th grader doing to project.

Answer by Julie & Carla(Puerto Rico perpetuo 7mo hola sofi 2004)
Submitted on 9/23/2004
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Hey: We have just finished a science fair project on dog's and humans saliva and by the matter of fact dog's have cleaner saliva than humans do even though they do not brush their teeth.

Answer by Kat
Submitted on 9/24/2004
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Dogs eat food which means a dirty mouth

Answer by Anggie
Submitted on 9/29/2004
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I think dogs mouths are cleaner becuase if they brushed their like we do theirs would be a ton cleaner plus they have special stuff that breaks down food better!! i guess it depends on the dog and the human!

Answer by puppy love
Submitted on 10/4/2004
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Of course a dog's saliva is cleaner than a human. Just because, they eat different things doesn't prove it's dirtier than ours. We are doing a science fair project and we're growing bacteria from a human and dogs mouth so I do know something!

Answer by Krista
Submitted on 10/6/2004
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Yes dogs mouths are the cleanest of any animals!!!

Answer by doggy- dog- world
Submitted on 10/6/2004
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I have not done this experiment yet, so I do not know the outcome. You guys are making me so CONFUSED!!! You guys say that a dogs mouth is cleaner than a human'sand than the next minute you say that it is not. Please HELP ME!!! sincerely - DoggyDog World

Answer by shawn drake
Submitted on 10/14/2004
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a dogs mouth is way cleaner than a humans

Answer by HiHo
Submitted on 10/17/2004
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I'm doing a science fair project to find out if a dog's mouth is cleaner than a humans' also, but I can't find any websites either~ Some please help~~~~!!!