Testing of Antioxidants against Experimental Caries in Rats

¹ National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Bethesda, Maryland

A number of antioxidants were tested for their effect on sulcal caries in rats. Propyl gallate and 1,2-dihydro-6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline inhibited caries by approximately 50 per cent when incorporated in the diet at 0.5 per cent level. The other antioxidants, including -tocopherol, ascorbic acid, isoascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole, ethyl hydrocaffeate, rutin, hesperidin, butylated hydroxytoluene, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid, did not inhibit caries. In fact, the caries scores of some groups were slightly increased. In the case of hesperidin, the increase was statistically significant. These compounds were generally not inhibitory to the growth of selected test bacteria under the conditions used for testing. Exceptions were propyl gallate, 1,2-dihydro-6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline, ethyl hydrocaffeate, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid.