THE EFFECTS OF CASTRATION, SEX HORMONES, AND DESALIVATION ON DENTAL CARIES IN THE RAT

¹ Indiana University, Departments of Zoology and Chemistry, Bloomington, Ind., and School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, Ind.

Orchiectomy at 30 days of age resulted in a significant reduction in dental caries, while ovariectomy at this age produced only a tendency toward reduction. Castration at 60 days of age had no significant effect on dental caries in either sex. In the animals which were both castrated and desalivated, gonadectomy was still effective in reducing the incidence of dental decay. Hormone injections into these animals resulted in a dental caries score of approximately the same magnitude as that found in the animals which were desalivated.

Castration resulted in an increased adrenal weight in the male and a decreased adrenal weight in the female, while desalivation had no significant effect. Desalivation resulted in a significant decrease in testis weight, while the effect on the weight of the uterus was of doubtful significance.