Is it true that dogs have cleaner mouths than people?

Question

I have heard that from a lot of people, is it true or not

Answer 1

Yes, dogs have (in their saliva) hundreds of bacteria killing enzymes. That is why they lick open wounds, to kill bacteria and prevent infection.

Answer 2

What does 'cleaner' mean anyway? If it means fewer types of natural bacteria then possibly dogs do have cleaner mouths than humans.

HOWEVER the answer to your question is no, and it's quite simple why not. The majority of dogs do not get their teeth reguarly brushed, the majority of humans do. Dogs therefore have all the bacteria from the food they eat around their teeth and gums for a very long time, which is why they often end up needing dentals in later life - hideous teeth.

Yes, dog's lick their wounds. Do people really think they do this because they have knowledge of asepsis? They do it out of instinct, for comfort! If a dog has a wound you're supposed to discourage it from licking because the bacteria in it's mouth will cause the wound to get infected. These are animals that lick their bottoms after all.

You only have to look in a dog's mouth to know that this whole 'dog's have cleaner mouths than humans' is a myth derived from a misunderstanding about types of bacteria natural present in different mammalian mouths. If you need more evidence, her it is:
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213870
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dogs/a/dog_breath.htm
http://ask.yahoo.com/20060906.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070407100602AAZ5EO9&show=7
............ I could go on but I think you get the idea.

Chalice

Answer 3

Some people believe that it is. The truth is though dogs have a stronger digestive track and they also have more Sylvia glands than humans do, So natural with more spit it APPEARS cleaner. Acids in a dog stomach allow them to drink for say pond after without getting sick and which makes the Sylvia glands cleaner (not sure how though....) Anyhow The answer is yes UNLESS the dog has a jaw condition then this statement in there case is completely false. But just to make sure (By the way a vet told me all of this) i wouldn't exactly let your dog lick you after it eats something nasty like poo!!! The vet also said something about if you wait 30 seconds after it eats something like that it will be fine but still it kind of grosses me out!

Answer 4

Some dogs can have cleaner mouths than humans, but only due to the fact that some people have poor hygiene.

Most dogs do not develop cavities or other types of mouth diseases whereas gingivitis and gum disease is a common occurance in humans.

The average person with healthy teeth and gums will have a much cleaner mouth than most dogs or any other animal for that matter.

Answer 5

No! I have seen shows that have done tests, (like Mythbusters) and has proven that a dogs mouth is really nasty, and has many more harmful bacteria that humans.

Myth: Dogs Have Cleaner Mouths Than Humans
Pooches Mouths Are Dirty, but They're Safe to KissFrom 2020 Oct. 14,
Pet lovers can't get enough affection from their pooches. And if licking is loving, they get a lot of loving.


But is it really safe to kiss a dog, considering where they often put their mouths?


"Their saliva is much cleaner and if you have a cut or anything, if they lick it -- it's healing," one woman told "20/20" while being interviewed in New York City.



Proof From a Veterinarian
To find out just who has a cleaner mouth, we asked veterinarian and fellow dog lover Marty Becker, author of "Chicken Soup for the Dog Owner's Soul," to offer his opinion.


"They raid the garbage can. You know, we give each other a peck on the cheek when we say hello, they give each other a peck on the rear end," said Becker. "All you got to do is look, watch, smell and you'll realize that that is not true."


He thinks the myth that a dog's mouth is clean stems from their practice of licking their wounds.


"And they'll be licking that wound and you'll notice that the wound heals very fast … what that tongue does is it gets rid of the dead tissue," said Becker.


He compares that tongue lashing to the work of a surgeon who cleans out a wound, and said the licking also stimulates circulation.



Go Ahead, Give Them a Kiss
If you want to give your pooch a kiss, it may be safer than kissing another human.


Becker says many of the bacteria in the mouth of a dog are species specific, so it won't harm its owner.


"So a staph or a strep for a human is not transmissible to a dog, if you were to kiss it, and vice versa," said Becker.


Bottom line -- you're more likely to get a serious illness from kissing a person than kissing a dog. But since dogs do transmit some germs, Becker has some advice: "Keep the vaccines current. Good external parasite control, good internal parasite control. You're going to be good to go."


And then, he says you can kiss them all you want.

"They love us unconditionally, they make us laugh," said Becker. "If we're going to give them a little kiss to thank them for that, then that's good by me."

Answer 6

In a sense but don't start frencing your pooch.

Dogs pick up more gunk but as they salivate more than humans the bacteria is washed away more often. It has to do with the drooling like cats don't drool unless something is wrong with them so their bite to a human is the worse and most often gets infected. A bite from a person can never be ignored however a dog breaking the skin in the heat of playing tug or fetch has never been that big of a deal.

Answer 7

I did that topic for a science fair experiment. A human's mouth is cleaner than a dog's. Dogs have more bacteria in their mouth and also eat things off the ground and things that people do NOT eat.

Answer 8

I really wish that people who don't know what the hell they are talking about would just stop answering questions with stupid answers. Dogs have extremely high levels of anti-bacteria in thier saliva. I have two big dogs and when ever i get a cut the first thing i do is get one of them to lick it and witing a couple of hours it's not even red anymore and it heals alot faster than even using polysporin. Now keep in mind that only a healthy dog will have these great healing properites..if your dog is sick and you get it to lick a sore or cut you can end up with more of an infection that you started with so make sure your pooch stays healthy and he'll return the favor by keeping you free of infections when you get cuts and crapes...

Answer 9

A dogs saliva contain a bacterial agent as in the wild they eat food that is rancid and rotten sometimes..the bacterial agents kill the microbes..when we cut ourselves as kids we used to let the dogs lick the wound and we believed it cured the wound..however as an adult I would not recommend this ..And I never let a dog lick my face..not even my slobbering mastiff.

Answer 10

It's true. A human bite is the worst bite to get because of all the bacteria and germs in it.

Answer 11

In a manner particular, and in a manner, no. human beings have micro organism on their tongue continuously for some reason (I forgot), and that's in large quantities. in case you stick out your tongue and verify out it, you spot those circles all on it? that's micro organism! canine, on the different hand, have not got the micro organism. So particular, this is air purifier than ours by using fact there tongue is roofed via a layer of micro organism like ours is. yet, our micro organism isn't risky micro organism (needless to say) and canine eat gross issues. canine eat trash, eat their poop, %. up nasty issues off the line, and so on. while they try this, by using fact they have not got micro organism on their tongue to interrupt it down, it continues to be there for awhile, making their mouth relatively grimy! So in a manner this is air purifier, yet with what they get themselves into, it maximum easily isn't!