Certain Organic Substances and Their Effects upon the Incidence of Dental Caries in the Cotton Rat

¹ Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

A number of organic compounds were tested for their effect on fissure caries in cotton rats. Syringic acid inhibited caries by approximately 40 per cent when incorporated in the diet at 0.1 per cent level. Other phenolic acids, including gallic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, and P-coumaric acid as well as the amino acids (lysine, methionine, and glutamate) did not inhibit caries. Hesperidin, D-catechin, and hesperetin methyl chalcone inhibited caries from 30 to 40 per cent when incorporated in the diet at 0.2 per cent level. Hesperetin, morin, naringenin, and rutin did not inhibit caries. Propylgallate at a level of 0.5 per cent in the diet caused an increase of about 30 per cent in the incidence of caries. Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene inhibited caries 42 and 33 per cent, respectively, at a level in the diet of 0.5 per cent; however, this level also caused a reduction in growth rate. Nordihydroguaiarietic acid, 3-piperonylacrylic acid, lupulon, kojic acid, eugenol, mandelic acid, and usnic acid did not inhibit caries at the levels tested. Eugenol palmitate inhibited caries 26 per cent at a level of 0.5 per cent in the diet.