"Look, Mom! No canine caries!" Cindy Stone's pooch, Jenny, takes a look at some Healthy Crunch biscuits. Stone is a training specialist at the IUB Physical Plant.
Photo illustration by Chris Meyer
"Look, Mom! No canine caries!" Cindy Stone's pooch, Jenny, takes a look at some Healthy Crunch biscuits. Stone is a training specialist at the IUB Physical Plant. Photo illustration by Chris Meyer
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Try brushing a dog's teeth. Dog gone! It's not a pleasant process. But give him a tasty biscuit and voila! Tail wags and tartar's gone -- or greatly reduced. It's still a dog's life, but it's gotten better -- at least for those pooches treated to Healthy Crunch or Tartar Check, Heinz Pet Products developed at the Indiana University School of Dentistry.
Healthy Crunch and Tartar Check, as well as a similar Heinz product for cats, were recently developed under the leadership of Dr. George Stookey, director of the Oral Health Research Institute on the Indianapolis campus.
Tartar Check came first and is marketed through Petsmart stores. Then came Healthy Crunch, which "reduces tartar build-up by 45 percent;" it was introduced this summer and is sold in all the 1,700 Wal-Mart stores. Cats got their turn quickly when the purrfected Nature's Recipe Feline Crunchy Treats went on sale in veterinary clinics in western states. Nature's Recipe cleans teeth and has "added vitamins and minerals for a healthier cat with a brighter smile and fresher breath." Felines, who are often picky about what they put in their mouths, can choose between two flavors: the Lamb Meal and Rice Formula or the chicken and rice alternative.
Next will come a product for zoo animals, which is licensed to Purina Mills, Inc.
IU's Advanced Research and Technology Institute (ARTI) has assisted with linking the developers and commercial opportunities.
 Stookey
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Researchers at the Oral Health Research Institute are currently working on related types of systems for preventing oral disease in dogs and cats. They haven't forgotten two-legged animals either, Stookey said. This research will also lead to better products for humans.
Stookey has been chewing on the problems of tooth decay and tartar control for a long time. His interest to dental research goes back to 1957 when the then-new dentist worked on IU's Crest toothpaste project. ("Look, Mom, no cavities")
His ties to dental health go back even farther. Stookey was born in Waterloo, a Hoosier town with naturally fluoridated water. His interest in animals comes naturally, too. His father and grandfather were farmers.
The Oral Health Research Institute, which Stookey has directed since 1981, has long had an international reputation for work in fluoride and prevention of cavities, tartar control and gum care.
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