Clinical applications of animal experimentations. Studies on the causes of periodontal disease

Abstract

The evidence arising from the experimental efforts yields a number of clues to the etiology and essential nature of periodontal disease. It is interesting that deficiencies of a number of different dietary elements such as calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin C have all caused a similar osteoporosity of the bone of the jaws. Disturbances of general metabolism arising from artificially induced diabetes also caused osteoporosity. It is also significant that other bones and tissues of the body are involved in the same manner and to a similar degree as are the periodontal tissues. The marked specificity of the effects of acute niacin deficiency and acute pantothenic acid deficiency shows a surprising difference of effects of two of the factors of the vitamin B complex. Animal experiment with vitamin C deficiency has confirmed a common clinical observation that gingivitis is a late manifestation of hypovitaminosis C. In designing future experiments it is desirable that provision be made to observe the variations in reaction that may occur at different times. It is also desirable that experiments be designed to show the influence of partial deficiencies or of moderate disturbances of metabolism that would be more closely comparable to those ordinarily existing among human beings. Our knowledge concerning the etiology of periodontal disease is still incomplete in some respects, but the animal experimentation method offers an almost inexhaustible source for the acquirement of additional knowledge