RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATERNAL INGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATE IN THE RAT AND DENTAL CARIES SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE PROGENY

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Indiana University Medical Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Ind.

A significant decrease in dental caries incidence was obtained in animals born to mothers on a high sucrose diet when compared to similar animals born to mothers receiving a stock corn diet of parents receiving a stock corn diet prior to breeding.

In another study where the parents received a high sucrose diet for 150 days prior to breeding, no significant differences in dental caries were noted in the offspring. The two studies differed only in the preconception diet of the mothers. The influence of this factor on the caries susceptibility of the offspring needs further study. Its recognition and explanation may clarify the interpretation of some of the conflicting data in the literature.

Enamel solubility, salivary flow, blood glucose, blood chloride, blood calcium, and blood phosphorus, femur calcium, phosphorus or ash content tests were performed to determine if any of these variables would explain the dental caries data obtained in this study.