[Studies on cariogenicity of sugar substitutes in xerostomized rats]

A comparative study of the cariogenic characteristics of sugar substitutes Xylitol, L-sorbose, and Palatinit as well as saccharose and lactose was carried out in programmed feeding experiments with xerostomized and nonxerostomized rats. The xerostomized animals developed more caries with all substrates than did the nonxerostomized animals. The differences in the saccharose and the lactose groups however were significant. Compared with saccharose, it was confirmed with this method that the cariogenic characteristics of the sugar substitutes tested was low. Xylitol proved to be the least cariogenic.