Dog mouths cleaner than ours?

[LizFL]

I have always wondered if this is true. I dont understand how it could be, my dogs lick their privates, and eat some yucky stuff. I've tried doing a search on it, but I cant find any reliable evidence one way of the other. what do you think?

[Nadal]

Nope. I don't believe it is.

[GreyWeather]

this was done on mythbusters, and I think it was true. they had less bacteria in their mouths than us.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

this was done on mythbusters, and I think it was true. they had less bacteria in their mouths than us.

Yup the mythbusters test showed their mouths were cleaner

[Reincarnated]

It's true. One of my teachers back in highschool actually got bit by a girl that was in a fight as he tried breaking it up. He had to get quite a few shots and check-ups.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

Remeber this next time you kiss your significant other.

[The Silver Thong]

Yup have to say that a dogs mouth is by far cleaner, still I hate when you get licked on the face and you just saw them 5 min earlier licking there ****. Yuck.

Edit I ment licked by a dog

Edited April 25, 2006 by The Silver Thong

[Only Happy When It Rains]

Nope. I don't believe it is.

I saw the episode of Mythbusters but I still don't see how it could be true. My brother's dog eats her anything on the ground she can find and she eats her own poo! I don't see how her mouth could be cleaner than a human's.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

I saw the episode of Mythbusters but I still don't see how it could be true. My brother's dog eats her anything on the ground she can find and she eats her own poo! I don't see how her mouth could be cleaner than a human's.

Their Saliva is likely a more potent atiseptic.

[Only Happy When It Rains]

Their Saliva is likely a more potent atiseptic.

That makes sense. She still has bad breath after she eats it though lol.

[LostLittleGirl]

^^ That's why they make toothpaste and mouth wash for dogs.

[LizFL]

Yup have to say that a dogs mouth is by far cleaner, still I hate when you get licked on the face and you just saw them 5 min earlier licking there ****. Yuck.

Edit I ment licked by a dog

LOL thanks for helping me clear this up. Like you said, after seeing them lick themselves, and for that matter, eat garbage and poo, I cant see how it would be claner than my mouth when I brush and mouthwash at least twice a day....

[Lilly]

The answer to this is both "yes" and "no". A dog's mouth really isn't *cleaner* than a person's. It's because they're inhabited by germs adapted to living in dogs...not humans. This being the case, people bites are worse because the germs living in human's mouths are all germs that can attack other humans! Consequently, most germs living in a dog's mouth simply aren't harmful to humans. There just aren't that many species of bacteria that can survive in multiple species, those that can are usually a real pain, though!

[+Link of Hyrule]

Here's the real question I've wanted to know. Not only if dogs mouths are cleaner, which I've always thought they were, but a dog licks its wounds to clean them, heal them - is it helpful for a dog to lick human wounds then?

[RachelM]

Here's the real question I've wanted to know. Not only if dogs mouths are cleaner, which I've always thought they were, but a dog licks its wounds to clean them, heal them - is it helpful for a dog to lick human wounds then?

I don't know if dogs licking our wounds would clean them, but it makes me think that people tend to suck on their finger immediately following a pin prick or such. Maybe it's some primordial instinct that has stayed with us. I can just see some big Neanderthal in the corner of his cave licking his wounds.

[Sanjuro]

Its impossible, maybe dog has cleaner mouth than some old dirty bum, but not normal people like me etc.

[Dowdy]

Dogs mouths are cleaner, that interesting. Must of missed that episode of Myth Busters. But i bet cats are way cleaner the dogs and people. They know not to eat crap

[Avinash_Tyagi]

Dogs mouths are cleaner, that interesting. Must of missed that episode of Myth Busters. But i bet cats are way cleaner the dogs and people. They know not to eat crap

Yeah but they lick themselves, so you never know.

[LizFL]

Dogs mouths are cleaner, that interesting. Must of missed that episode of Myth Busters. But i bet cats are way cleaner the dogs and people. They know not to eat crap

I dunno.... back when I had a cat, he ate a lot of gross things.... not to mention, bringing me gifts of dead birds and stuff

[GreyWeather]

I dunno.... back when I had a cat, he ate a lot of gross things.... not to mention, bringing me gifts of dead birds and stuff

that reminded me about an episode of family guy

"like brian bringing us dead birds"

"those were gifts you bas****"

[Lilly]

Actually, cat saliva is a bit more of a risk (as far as humans are concerned). This is due to Pasteurella multocida, a gram-negative coccobacillus common to cat's mouths. This organism can cause infections in humans if there's a method of entry (ie, broken skin, usually from a bite wound). Honestly, it's not that a dog's saliva is really any *cleaner*...it's just that common canine germs aren't as likely to cause humans any problems. Be advised though, any animal can carry organisms that can harm people...especially if they are feral, or wild animals that have not been innoculated.

[GreyWeather]

it has nothing to do with whether dogs germs can harm us, its been proved they have less bacteria in their mouths than humans do. mythbusters used those disks that help bacteria grow (forgot what they're called >_<) and the dogs disk held less germ colonies than adam ( ) who was obvisually the human test patient in this experiment.

[fawkes2]

Dogs mouths are cleaner, that interesting. Must of missed that episode of Myth Busters. But i bet cats are way cleaner the dogs and people. They know not to eat crap

l disagree about the cats are cleaner my cat eats what she brings up, also if a cat only bites/nip a bird or a small animal it can actually kill it because of the bacteria in its saliva. so l belive that dogs are cleaner.

[Lilly]

it has nothing to do with whether dogs germs can harm us, its been proved they have less bacteria in their mouths than humans do.

I agree that a dog's saliva would show lower levels of bacterial density when cultured on a Agar base medium. However, the question is; Are dog's mouth's cleaner? "Cleaner" being the key word here. Now, bacteria are everywhere, without "friendly" bacteria we couldn't even survive. Generally the question of cleanliness implys something *dirty*, that of a harmful nature. To illustrate; which would you consider to be dirtier... 100,000 colony units per million of lactobacillius acidophilis (a friendly flora), or 10,000 colony units of colistridium botulinium (botulism)? Think about it for a minute....the botulism will likely kill you! Also, via this example yogurt would be considered *filthy*, as it's loaded with lactobacillius!

[Raptor]

They may be cleaner in the sense that they have less germs, but the bacteria that they do have could very well be more harmful than any bacteria found in a human mouth.