Relationship of Dental Caries to Deficiencies of the Vitamin B Group

Abstract

Unpublished observations by Mann (1940) revealed a low incidence of dental caries among patients attending the Nutrition Clinic of Hillman Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. The association of large numbers of oral strains of lactobacilli with active caries is probably aided by favorable environmental conditions, especially adequate nutrition for bacterial growth. Pantothenic acid has been reported as present in the saliva, and is a nutritional requirement for lactobacilli isolated from the mouth (2). Since the blood of patients with pellagra, beriberi and riboflavin deficiency has shown a decreased pantothenic acid content of from 23 to 50 per cent below the normal average (1), it became desirable to determine the salivary pantothenic acid values of such patients, and the ability of their salivas to support oral lactobacilli growth, as evidenced by salivary lactobacillus counts.