EFFECT OF MILK ON CARIES INCIDENCE AND BACTERIAL COMPOSITION OF DENTAL PLAQUE IN THE RAT

Abstract

Supplementation of a cariogenic diet with pasteurized bovine milk substantially reduced the incidence of dental caries in both male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. The reduction in caries incidence was not associated with the consumption of less of the cariogenic diet and more milk, nor with the animals having a significantly altered bacterial composition of their dental plaque. The results lead to the hypothesis that the anticariogenic effect of milk is attributable to a direct chemical influence on the caries process in the oral environment of the rat. © 1981.