Dental Caries in the Cotton Rat XIII. The Effect of Whole Grain and Processed Cereals on Dental Caries Production

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Abstract
The effect of whole grain versus processed cereals and alkaline-ash versus acid-ash foods on the experimental production of dental caries in the cotton rat has been studied. When fed under similar conditions, the whole grain cereals, corn, wheat and oats, were found to be less cariogenic in each case than their processed products — corn flakes, wheat flakes and oatmeal, respectively. Natural diets which contained processed cereals and only 30% sugar were found to be more cariogenic than a synthetic diet containing 67% sucrose. The reasons for this rather unexpected finding have been discussed. A significant difference was not found between the cariogenicity of alkaline-ash and that of acid-ash foods under the experimental conditions used. Changes in the appearance of the teeth and the carious lesions, due to dietary ingredients, have been noted.