OBSERVATIONS ON LACTOBACILLUS COUNTS AND DENTAL CARIES IN MENTAL PATIENTS DURING INSULIN COMA THERAPY

¹ Institute of Pathology, Western Reserve University, and Cleveland State Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio

1. Salivary analyses of mental patients before hypoglycemia therapy indicated that they could be divided into two distinct classes on the basis of their lactobacillus counts. Those with less than 10,000 lactobacilli per milliliter were designated as "low-count," while those with 10,000 or more lactobacilli per milliliter were designated as "high-count."

2. An apparent rise which was observed in the weekly lactobacillus counts of the high-count group was not statistically significant. However, no rise in count was observed in the low-count group.

3. The incidence of new clinical caries during the period of treatment was not significantly greater nor more extensive in either group.

4. No significant correlation could be demonstrated between the magnitude of the sugar intake and the development of new caries in either group.

5. The dosage of insulin required to produce coma was consistently lower in the low-count group than the grand mean dosage for all cases. The insulin dosages for the high-count group varied at random with respect to the grand mean. All cases whose insulin dosage was greater than the mean were members of the high-count group. These findings were significant by statistical tests.