Dental Caries in Diabetic and Prediabetic Rats

¹ Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Department of Embryology and Histology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina

The investigation of susceptibility to dental caries (prevalence, incidence, and rate of evolution) in white rats of the colony belonging to the Institute of Physiology, nourished on the customary diet, 95 per cent pancreatectomized, during prediabetic, incipient, and confirmed diabetic periods, has resulted in the following: (1) Confirmation of the clinical observations of the pre-insulin period, which indicated a pronounced increase in the incidence of caries in diabetic persons, as well as of the experimental results of the last 15 years with alloxan diabetic hamsters and rats that indicated a significant increase in caries activity in such animals. (2) Confirmation of the recent observations as to the significant increase in prevalence and rate of evolution in 95 per cent pancreatectomized diabetic rats that has established a corresponding increase in caries susceptibility. (3) Demonstration that this increase in susceptibility manifests itself precociously, before hyperglycemia has been established, in prediabetic period, as evidenced by an increase of the prevalence, incidence, and rate of evolution. (4) Demonstration that the diabetic condition notably accelerates the already established caries process, suggesting the existence of a close relation between the increase in hyperglycemic levels and the rate of evolution of dental caries.