The Influence of Anion-Exchange Resins on Experimentally Produced Oral Diseases

¹ Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Dietary supplements of either a weakly or a strongly basic anion-exchange resin in their hydroxyl forms caused major reductions in the incidence of experimental dental caries in the rats of the Harvard caries-susceptible strain. Despite great differences in their anion-exchange abilities, comparable levels of supplementation by the two resins caused almost identical reductions in the dental caries incidence. In addition, there were suggestions that the weakly basic anion-exchange resin when saturated with acid still had an ability to inhibit the development of carious lesions. This acid-saturated resin inhibited the eruption of the third molars and may have reduced the rate of primary and secondary dentin formation.

Dietary supplements of these resins caused minor but insignificant reductions in the periodontal syndrome in rice rats.