Growth, development and dental caries in rats fed two experimental diets
Sintes, J.L.; Miller, S.A.
Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion 33(2): 283-307
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-0622 PMID: 6673670 Document Number: 202457
During pregnancy, lactation and the period after weaning groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were given a stock diet with 25% protein which satisfied the requirements of the American NRC for growth and maintenance or diets MIT 200 and NIH 2000 which are used to induce dental caries. The caries-promoting diets did not sustain growth at a rate comparable to that obtained with the control diet as a result of an energy deficit in both diets. NIH 2000 was deficient in other nutrients such as iron. Haemoglobin value, haematocrit, salivary protein, saliva flour and weight of vital organs showed that rats given NIH 2000 were deficient in Fe. Caries formation can be precipitated by a mechanism influenced by a nutrient deficit.