Relation of Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat Intake to the Periodontal Syndrome

¹ Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Six experiments were conducted with a total of 352 rice rats to determine the influence of variations in the carbohydrate, protein, and fat concentrations in the diet on the periodontal syndrome and to determine the influence of the age of the subjects on their susceptibility to the periodontal syndrome.

The replacement of more than half of the sucrose in the periodontal syndrome- producing diet by lard caused significant reductions in the incidence of the periodontal syndrome in both the soft and the calcified tissues.

The replacement of sucrose by ground rice resulted in significant reductions in the periodontal syndrome.

The partial replacement of sucrose by dextrin had no influence on the periodontal syndrome, while complete replacement of sucrose by dextrin had little effect in a long-term experiment and a moderate influence in a shorter-term experiment.

The replacement of casein by egg albumin or the reduction of the protein level from 24 to 12 per cent in the diet had no influence on the periodontal syndrome.

Initiation of the periodontal syndrome-producing regimen at 21, 42, 63, and 84 days of age indicated that, within this age range, susceptibility to the periodontal syndrome remained comparable.