Abstract
The fine movement of the toothbrush makes the old dog, which lacks the experience of brushing teeth, uncomfortable. Therefore, it is necessary to simplify the process of brushing teeth in old dogs. In a previous study, we developed a new toothbrush for old dogs. The brush was for the dog, not for the owner, hence this change. In this study, we have investigated the usefulness of that toothbrush using a chin model of a beagle. First, we coated the chin model with artificial plaque(lipstick). Then, we brushed the model with either a commercially available toothbrush or the new toothbrush devised by us. We recorded the number of strokes, brushing time, and plaque removal effect. It was found that the number of strokes and brushing time tended to be lower with the new toothbrush. Therefore, the use of the new toothbrush can be expected to simplify the process of brushing teeth for old dogs. It is suggested that the owners of old dogs can use this toothbrush to introduce brushing of teeth to their dogs.
