Xylitol and dental caries. Efficacy of xylitol in reducing dental caries in rats
Grunberg, E.; Beskid, G.; Brin, M.
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. Internationale Zeitschrift für Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal International de Vitaminologie et de Nutrition 43(2): 227-232
1973
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-9831 PMID: 4716571 Document Number: 57934
Male Wistar rats weighing initially 100 g in groups of 20 were given a stock diet, a cariogenic diet of coarsely ground polished rice 66, whole milk powder 30, lucerne leaf meal 3 and NaCl 1%, or the cariogenic diet with supplements of glucose, sucrose, mannitol, sorbitol or xylitol at 5% of the diet for the first 2 weeks, 7.5% for the next 2 and 10% to the end of the experiment at 21 weeks. With the addition of the carbohydrates milk powder was appropriately reduced. The incidence of dental caries was similar in rats given the cariogenic diet alone or with glucose or sucrose. With mannitol or sorbitol there was less caries in the first and third molars; the incidence of caries in the second molars was reduced by about a third and the extent of carious lesions by about a half. In rats given xylitol caries was absent from the first and third molars and only 1 rat in 7 had caries in the second molars.