The Influence of a Cereal-free Die Rich in Vitamin D and Calcium on Dental Caries in Children

our aiin has been to correlate animal experiments and investigations on man, the former serving as a basis for the latter, It is obvious that these two means, taken in conjunction, hold out the best hope for the discovery of the aetiology of dental disease and for the evolution of suitable methods for its elimination. It has been shownl 2 that normal, well-developed teeth are more resistant to caries than poorly developed (hvpoplastic) teeth. Since the majority of human teeth in this country are defective in structure,3 it would seem that one method of reducing the incidence of dental caries should be the production of teeth of good structure by suitable diets, both for mothers during pregnancy and lactation, and for their offspring during the period of tooth calcification.* This is essentially the prophylactic method of attacking dental canes. A problem of no less immediate importance is that of arresting the development of dental caries in teeth already erupted. When teeth are attacked by caries, or when they are injured by some other agent, a protective barrier of secondary dentine is frequently formed in the pulp chamber opposite the site of injury. The strength of the defence depends partly on the original structure of the tooth, for the better the structure the less the tendency to caries,1 2 and partly, as shown by animal experiments5 on the dietetic conditions existing during the period of injury. For instance, if the diet cofntains abundant vitamin D, the power of resistance of the living tooth is augmented; the tooth responds to injury by producing a large amount of well-formed secondary dentine, and, in the case of attack by caries, the infective process may be either delayed or arrested.