| Show primary cause of decay of teeth still unknown teeth may decay tn in spite ot of a completely adequate diet it Is shown by experiments at the college of ph physicians Y and surgeons of 0 columbia university ver sity tests lasting three years contradict the theory widely held in both scientific and lay circles that tooth decay Is caused by a dietary deficiency the practical si significance of 0 this finding Is that while we know it Is possible to reduce the amount of caries or dental decay by improving the diet we now know that we cannot prevent decay completely by this last method dr theodor sebury assistant professor of bacteriology who conducted the research writes in scientific american magazine the reason tor for this Is that a deficient clent diet Is a modifying influence rather than the primary cause of caries which still remains virtually unknown doctor fed five genera dons alons of rats a fully adequate diet over a period of 0 three years the rats continually developed caries IT this his result he explained checks with human experience to the extent that we know the disease occurs to la human beings healthy in all other respects and giving evidence of adequate nutrition we can produce caries more rapidly with diets deficient in mineral elements but no matter how adequate we make the diet dental caries Is still produced |
