Relation of protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake to the periodontal syndrome

Abstract

Earlier studies with the rice rat indicated that the complete replacement of carbohydrate in the periodontal syndrome-producing diet by fat and protein resulted in major re-ductions in the incidence and extent of the periodontal syndrome. ' This influence was more striking in the soft tissues of the periodontium than in the alveolar bone. The present series of experiments was undertaken to examine this relationship more exten-sively and to determine the influence of major changes in the amount and type of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in the periodontal syndrome-producing diet. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND RESULTS Five experiments were conducted to determine the influence of variations in the carbohydrate, protein, and fat concentrations in diet 700 on the periodontal syndrome in rice rats. A sixth experiment was undertaken to determine whether the susceptibility to the periodontal syndrome varied with the age of the experimental subject. The 352 rice rats used in these six experiments were offspring of our breeding colony, which is maintained on Purina Laboratory Chow supplemented with small amounts of fresh lettuce and carrots three times a week