DENTAL CARIES IN THE COTTON EAT(26)

ly associatedwith the carbohydrate portion of the diet cannot be ignored,the results of the present studies suggest that during therefining process the complex carbohydrates are dextrinizedto such an extent that processed cereals are more readilyavailable to and utilized by caries-producing organisms. Wealso cannot exclude at this time the possibility that refiningprocesses may be exerting an influence by other means, suchas the destruction of natural antibiotics or enzyme factors.Additional study is being made of natural and processedfoods in order to elucidate further their influence on the dentalcaries process.SUMMARYThe effect of whole grain versus processed cereals andalkaline-ash versus acid-ash foods on the experimental production of dental caries in the cotton rat has been studied.