Aged garlic extract shows promise as a gum disease treatment

Among dogs, periodontal (gum) disease affects various breeds at rates between 44% and 100%, with higher susceptibility in smaller breeds and older dogs. Veterinarians usually advise dog owners to brush their dogs’ teeth on a daily basis to remove plaque and oral debris whose build-up can lead to gum disease. However, compliance can be difficult, often due to issues of willingness and temperament.

In a new study, a research team from Japan, searching for a better means of prevention and treatment, found that an orally administered aged garlic extract (AGE) compound provided improvement without adverse effects in beagles with mild gingivitis. The job is published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Canine gingivitis, the early stage of gingivitis in dogs, is characterized by gum redness and reversible inflammation. In many cases, untreated gingivitis leads to periodontitis, which can cause receding gums as well as loss of bone, connective tissue and teeth. In dogs, as in humans, this later stage of gum disease is also associated with serious general health problems, which in dogs can include cardiovascular and kidney disease and cognitive decline, among others.

It is well known that dogs should not eat raw or cooked garlic or onions, which are members of the Allium genus which can be toxic to their systems causing hemolytic anemia. However, humans have used garlic (Allium sativum) for thousands of years as a food and as a treatment for many health problems, including asthma, as well as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems.

In addition, many human studies have reported the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties of aged garlic extract, as well as its therapeutic effects in cases of atherosclerosis, hypertension, metabolic syndrome and periodontitis in mild to moderate stages.

Seeking to build previous work showing that aged garlic extract—consisting of fresh garlic extracted over a long period of time and allowed to become less irritating and odorless—caused no adverse effects in dogs, the researchers of this new study sought to investigate whether it might also provides them with therapeutic benefit.

The team prepared an aged garlic extract powder by immersing slices of fresh garlic cloves in a mixture of ethanol and water for 10 months and then drying with a circulation dryer. Ten beagles with mild gingivitis but otherwise in good general health (four males and six females ranging in age from 2 to 9 years) constituted the study population and were assigned to either the test group or the placebo group, each of which included two males and three females.

At baseline and again at four and eight weeks after treatment, the researchers measured the dogs’ gum markers at 22 points in the oral cavity. the mean gingival index was less than 1. They also measured volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in the dogs’ exhaled breath at baseline and eight weeks after treatment. Feeding the dogs normally and providing water ad libitum during the test period, they mixed either a low dose of the test powder (18 mg/kg/day) or the placebo powder into the dogs’ food once a day for eight weeks, confirming each time that the dogs completely finished the food.

Among the notable results, the gingival index scores among subjects in the test group showed significant reductions at weeks four and eight, although those in the placebo group did not. VSCs measured by alimeter were measurably higher in the placebo group at eight weeks, but showed no significant change in the test group.

Considering these findings along with additional measurements of thiol levels, periodontal pathogenic enzyme activity, and salivary IgA and CAMP concentrations, the researchers believe that aged garlic extract provides therapeutic benefit in cases of canine gingivitis and malodor, and that the results may support its use as a dietary supplement as both prevention and treatment for these conditions.

However, they caution that this was a small-scale study in a single breed of dog with mild gingivitis. However, it points the way forward.

“Therefore,” the paper states, “large-scale studies are needed to investigate the therapeutic effects of AGE on periodontal disease across a wide range of races and body sizes. Second, this study examined the effect of AGE only on mild gingivitis with a gingivitis index of less than 1; therefore, further studies are needed in dogs with more severe gingivitis and periodontitis.”

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