Oral Microbiota Shifts Associated with Tartar Removal in Dogs

Periodontal disease is one of the most common oral conditions in dogs. The oral microbiome plays a key role in maintaining oral health, yet the normal canine oral microbiota and the effects of dental cleaning remain understudied. This study investigated changes in the oral microbiota of healthy dogs after routine tartar removal. Fourteen healthy adult Beagles underwent dental cleaning under general anesthesia. Oral microbiota was sampled using swabs at D-03 (baseline), D0 (after tartar removal), D3, D7, D14, and D28. Microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V4 region). Alpha diversity analysis showed that tartar removal was associated with a significant decrease in richness (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.001) but not with diversity (Shannon). Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences (PERMANOVA; p < 0.05) across all sampling times compared with baseline. Dental tartar removal temporarily reduced several anaerobic taxa and increased aerotolerant bacteria, with partial recovery toward baseline within two weeks, indicating resilience of the oral microbiota. Porphyromonas dominated the oral microbiota but decreased following dental cleaning with concomitant increases in other bacterial species, notably Neisseria, Moraxella, and Pasteurella. These findings suggest that the canine oral microbiota demonstrates considerable resilience following mechanical disruption by dental cleaning. Future studies should focus on the importance of this microbial restructuring in the pathogenesis and clinical management of canine periodontitis and may inform the development of microbiota-targeted preventive or therapeutic strategies in veterinary dentistry.