Comparison of sucrose, lactose, maltose and glucose in the causation of experimental oral diseases

Abstract

Complete replacement of sucrose in the periodontal syndrome-producing diet by glucose or by confectioner's sugar or one-half replacement by lactose did not have any significant effect on the prevalence and severity of the periodontal syndrome in the rice rat. Replacement of sucrose by maltose caused a significant reduction in the periodontal syndrome; replacement by whole wheat flour or white flour resulted in still greater reductions in the syndrome. Three experiments with different combinations of strains of rats and diets were used to compare the caries-producing ability of sugars. Complete replacement of sucrose by glucose in diet 2700 did not have any effect on incidence of dental caries in rats of the mutant albino strain but did cause moderate reductions in rats of the Harvard caries-susceptible strain. Complete replacement of confectioner's sugar by glucose in diet 2000 caused highly significant reductions in initiation and severity of carious lesions, both in the occlusal sulci and on the smooth surfaces. However, replacement of granulated sugar, sucrose, for confectioner's sugar also caused significant reductions in both types of lesions. Maltose supported as rapid development of carious lesions as sucrose in all three experiments, but a lower rate of lesions on the smooth surfaces in one out of two experiments. Lactose replacement for half of the sucrose in one experiment led to a lower incidence of carious lesions in the sulci and on the smooth surfaces in one experiment but not in a second experiment. Studies on mixed cultures from rats fed diets containing sucrose, glucose or maltose in one experiment led to the observation that maltose and sucrose seemed to promote somewhat greater synthesis of extracellular material than glucose. Some dextran has been synthesized from each of the carbohydrates. Comparison studies with plaque samples from five humans and oral swabbings from five hamsters led to the observation that extra-cellular slime was synthesized from sucrose alone.