Abstract
White rats (NIH and Sherman stocks) 21-26 days old were selected by pairs, each pair being litter mates of the same sex. One rat from each pair was placed on a 70% corn starch (control) diet and the other on a (test) diet of either 70% gr nulated or confectioners sugar. After an exptl. period of 200-270 days, caries was detd. microscopically. Not one of 76 rats on the starch (control) diet developed caries. On the granulated sugar diet, 10 of 27 NIH rats but none of 18 Sherman rats developed caries. On the confectioners sugar diet, 1 of 20 NIH rats and 2 of 11 Sherman rats developed caries. These results indicate that under certain conditions sucrose may play a role in rat caries.