Rubric v1 · 555 products scored

Dental care rubric

Every product in this category is scored against the same rubric. Weights sum to 100. A hit on any disqualifier forces a "skip" verdict regardless of the point total.

Criteria & weights

  1. 1. VOHC Seal of Acceptance

    Weight 25/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10VOHC Seal of Acceptance for plaque or tartar
    2. 5Claims plaque or tartar control without VOHC
    3. 0No VOHC recognition
  2. 2. Ingredient transparency

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Full ingredient list with actives named
    2. 5Partial list, active undisclosed
    3. 0No ingredient list
  3. 3. Calorie or dose disclosure

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Per-chew kcal or per-use dose with weight-based guidance
    2. 5Bulk information only
    3. 0No dose or kcal information
  4. 4. Mechanism disclosure

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Named mechanism with active and mode of action
    2. 5General mechanism (mechanical abrasion or enzymatic)
    3. 0No mechanism explained
  5. 5. Size guidance

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Size chart tied to weight range
    2. 5Size tiers only
    3. 0One size, no guidance
  6. 6. Safety profile

    Weight 15/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Species-safe formula with disclosed cautions and contraindications
    2. 5No cautions listed but species-safe formula
    3. 0Contains species-inappropriate ingredient (fluoride ingestible, xylitol)
  7. 7. Clinical evidence

    Weight 10/100

    Signal: product description

    1. 10Named clinical study or peer-reviewed evidence cited
    2. 5Marketing claim of veterinary support
    3. 0No study or veterinary endorsement

Disqualifiers

Any of the following forces a "skip" verdict, no matter how well the product scores on other criteria. Non-negotiable.

  • Contains xylitol
  • Contains fluoride in an ingestible product
  • Recalled in the last 24 months

Verdict thresholds

Total score cutoffs for each public verdict tier. Sum of weighted criterion scores maps directly onto these bands.

Editors' pick
≥ 80
Solid buy
≥ 65
Situational
≥ 50

Below 50, or any disqualifier hit → verdict: skip.