Key takeaway

Superculture^® Pet Oral is the most clinically-validated oral health postbiotic on the market. We designed it to target the root of poor pet oral health: the unwanted microbes in the mouth that generate bad breath and form biofilms. Rather than masking odor or relying on mechanical action, it works directly through the oral microbiome, and it does so fast enough to significantly reduce the compounds behind bad breath in as little as 7 days.

Clinical validation in dogs

Most oral care products are validated, if at all, on a single endpoint. Superculture^® Pet Oral has been tested across five independent double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in dogs, spanning the three oral health endpoints that matter most: bad breath and the compounds behind it, oral biofilms, and the oral microbiome itself.

The headline results:

• Fresher breath, fast. The ingredient significantly reduced volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), the molecules responsible for bad breath, after only 7 days, and by roughly 27% more from baseline than placebo. In the same study, human perception of bad breath tracked with the measured drop in VSCs.
• It targets unwanted microbes directly. In just 7 days, Superculture^® Pet Oral reduced the unwanted microbes that both produce VSCs and generate the biofilms that become plaque and build up into tartar.
• It promotes a healthy oral microbiome. Across studies, dogs given Superculture^® Pet Oral demonstrated: a lower abundance of biofilm-forming and VSC-producing taxa, greater species evenness, and a reduction in Porphyromonas cangingivalis, a microbe closely linked to periodontal disease. In a clean-tooth model over 84 days, Superculture^® Pet Oral attenuated an undesirable shift in the oral microbiome by limiting the increase of pathogen-associated taxa by up to 55%.

Research from three of our clinical studies has been published in the peer-reviewed journals Animals (VSC reduction and human perception of bad breath) and the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry (Oral microbiome, VSC reduction and human perception of bad breath).

Why we designed around the oral microbiome

Nearly 90% of dogs show signs of periodontal disease by age two, and yet most existing pet oral health solutions are ineffective. Fragrant oils temporarily mask odor without impacting what causes it. Mechanical action chips away at plaque at the surface but leaves the underlying root of poor oral health untouched. Broad chemical actives kill microbes indiscriminately, including the beneficial ones a healthy mouth depends on.

The insight that shaped our R&D of Superculture^® Pet Oral: unwanted microbes in the oral microbiome sit at the root of bad breath and poor oral health. We identified two key mechanisms of action to design an ingredient intentionally targeting poor oral health: (1) suppressing VSC production by the unwanted oral microbes and (2) disrupting oral biofilms that had already formed in the oral cavity.

Through extensive screening, we identified a combination of microbes that possessed exceptional functionality through both of these mechanisms of action. Superculture^® Pet Oral is the combination of those AAFCO-listed microbial strains, delivered as a postbiotic. It delivers benefits even with brief exposure to the oral cavity, and without mechanical action, making it ideal for the many pets that resist teeth brushing.

Confirming performance in canine conditions

Before conducting our in vivo clinical studies, we validated Superculture^® Pet Oral's mechanisms of action in vitro under canine-relevant oral conditions and within realistic contact times.

To ensure a relevant model, we collected oral microbiome samples from dogs, isolated and sequenced individual strains, and selected a native canine strain that is both a strong producer of VSCs and a robust biofilm former to represent the unwanted microbes we set out to target. We then grew established biofilms of that strain and treated them with Superculture^® Pet Oral at our recommended, orally-relevant dose.

The ingredient delivered on both mechanisms:

• Biofilm disruption. Superculture® Pet Oral achieved near-complete disruption of oral biofilms, an average reduction of 98%. That performance vastly exceeded eight commonly-used oral health actives tested in parallel, including zinc, brown algae, spirulina, and zeolites, none of which came close.
• VSC suppression. Superculture® Pet Oral reduced the volatile sulfur compounds behind bad breath by an average of 85%, while common comparators such as spirulina and coenzyme Q10 showed no effect.

Relating ingredient design to clinical outcome

We hold ourselves to a three-part standard: mechanism-centered design, in vitro screening, and benefit-focused clinical validation on the endpoints pet parents care about. Across the three, our work focuses on companion animals specifically, rather than extrapolation from other species like humans or production animals.

To our knowledge, no other oral health postbiotic in the companion animal space has demonstrated clinical fresh-breath and oral-microbiome benefits at this level of validation.

See the peer-reviewed research for yourself

• Animals - human perception of bad breath, VSC reduction
• Journal of Veterinary Dentistry - oral microbiome
• Journal of Veterinary Dentistry - human perception of bad breath, VSC reduction

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This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as veterinary or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Superculture® Pet Oral is an ingredient for use in pet food and supplement products and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.