The effect of a high-sucrose diet on the calcium and phosphorus content of the enamel and dentine of rat incisors

Abstract

The enamel and dentine of the incisors of rats maintained on a diet containing 67% sucrose had significantly more Ca and P than the same tissues of animals maintained on a stock diet of Lever cubes. The Ca/P ratios on the high-sugar diet were significantly lower than on the stock diet. It is confirmed that in the rat the Ca/P ratio for the enamel is higher than that for the dentine. It is assumed that a diet high in sucrose stimulates the processes of mineralization by maintaining a max. level of glycogen in the developing tooth.