By now, almost everyone has come across an expression that suggests that the mouth of a dog is cleaner than that of a human’s. While most people have come to accept this as true, there are those who cannot help but wonder. If you are one of the people who wonder, then you should know that the answer is no, the mouth of a dog is not cleaner than that of a human being.

The Differences Between Human Mouths and Dog Mouths

Human mouths and dog mouths really should not be compared at all because of the major differences between them. In total, the mouth of a dog has at least 400 different types of bacteria while the human mouth also has at least 600 different types. However, people and dogs pick up other kinds of bacteria from different places around their environments.

One of the reasons why you should not compare the two is the fact that there is a fundamental difference in the microbes between the two. This difference is still fundamental despite an overlap in some of the microbes. A good example is the bacteria (known as Porphyromonas) that causes periodontal disease in both people and dogs. In the case of dogs, dogs have a type of this bacteria known as P. gulae while human beings have a type known as P. gingivalis.

Where Did the Idea of Clean Dog Mouth Come From?

This common idea probably came from the fact that human beings and dogs often share saliva with no adverse effect. It is often harmless to allow your dog to lick a cut or scrape on your body. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and on occasion, humans can develop infections from the bacteria in a dog’s saliva – sometimes serious ones.

On the same note, the belief that the saliva of a dog can heal wounds is also a bit misleading. The act of licking a wound may actually offer some healing benefits to the wound. The licking can come from either a dog or from the person himself or herself. Licking cleans the wound thus reducing the chances of infection. Research on saliva has also shown that saliva may have some healing properties as well. However, these properties are not unique to dog saliva only. This research brings the question of whether it is beneficial for a person to have a dog lick their wounds at all. The answer is almost always no due to some bacteria that may prove problematic when exposed to open wounds.