The effect of dry food treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) or sodium hexametaphosphate (HMP), as kibble coated or added into the interior of the kibble on the accumulation of dental calculus in 25 dogs was evaluated. The study used a completely randomized design with five treatments and five repetitions. The experimental treatments were: 1) dry food; 2) dry food coated with TPP; 3) dry food with TPP incorporated into the interior of the kibble; 4) dry food coated with HMP; 5) dry food with HMP incorporated into the interior of the kibble. The animals received the diets for a 90-day experimental period, and then, the teeth were clinically examined for the presence of calculus. The inclusion of HMP in the dry food, as kibble coated or added into the interior of the kibble, and the inclusion of TPP as kibble coated reduced the accumulation of dental calculus compared to the control group without anti-calculus agents. HMP was the most efficient phosphate, reducing the accumulation of dental calculus in 47%. The forms of HMP inclusion in the dry food exerted no significant effect upon calculus formation. However, there was a reduction of calculus accumulation when TPF was incorporated as coating of the kibble, compared to the inclusion of this phosphate into the interior of the kibble. It was concluded that phosphates incorporated in the dry food reduce the accumulation of dental calculus in dogs.
dog; dental calculus; sodium tripolyphosphate; sodium hexametaphosphate
