Effect of Food Ash, Phosphate, and Trace Minerals Upon Hamster Caries

Abstract

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL surveys have indicated that the consistent geographic variation of caries prevalence in human beings may be related to an environ-mental factor. Although the evidence is quite conclusive that there is an in-verse relationship between the level of fluoride in water supplies and the incidence of dental decay, it has been suggested that investigations be conducted to determine whether a relationship also exists between the composition of foods produced in different soil areas and the incidence of dental decay in these areas.2 Recently, Hewart and Eastcott3 have shown that this type of rela-tion may exist. Experiments conducted at our laboratories have shown that corn and milk produced in two widely separate soil areas (New England and Texas) have different effects on the development of caries when included in the diet of the Syrian hamster.4 Spectrographic analysis revealed that the ashes of corn and of milk produced in these two areas were quantitatively different. For example, an ash of the Maine corn had 2 to 2.5 times more manganese, magnesium, and