COMPARISON OF SUCROSE AND GLUCOSE IN CAUSATION OF DENTAL CARIES IN GNOTOBIOTIC RATS

Complete replacement of sucrose by glucose resulted in a higher incidence of dental caries in gnotobiotic rats inoculated with Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus faecalis, or Streptococcus FA-1. Caries was observed only in the occlusal sulci and there were no observable accumulations of dental plaque. A series of thirteen experiments was performed. There was considerable variation from one experiment to another. Mean scores of 18.0 were obtained in one experiment only to be followed by a mean score of zero although the same strain of rats, the same diet, and the same micro-organism were used in a repeat experiment. Biologic variation is a factor which must be considered even in gnotobiotic experiments. © 1969.