Effect of Dietary Modifications on the Inhibition of Rat Caries by Sodium Metabisulfite

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Supplementation of a caries producing diet containing 0.3% sodium metabisulfite with a full vitamin mixture had no effect on growth or on the inhibition of caries in rats usually observed in the presence of this compound. There was also no change due to vitamin supplementation when this diet or control diets were autoclaved first. Addition of the agent to the diet for 1 day of each week, 1 week of each month, or for the first 2 weeks only, produced average caries scores 42, 45 and 39% lower respectively than untreated controls. An 80% reduction was obtained when metabisulfite was fed for the full 90 days. Feeding of metabisulfite resulted in a 200 fold reduction in cecal lactabacilli, a 50% reduction in streptococci, and the coliform count was doubled. No difference was observed in average cecal pH but the level of free thiamine was reduced by one-half in the experimental group.