Growth, development and dental caries in rats fed two experimental diets

In order to determine the nutritional adequacy of diets MIT 200 and NIH 2000 on the growth and development of experimental animals, these two diets were fed to two groups of animals during three periods of development: 1) pregnancy; 2) lactation, and 3) post-weaning. These diets were compared with a diet that satisfied the requirements of the National Research Council for growth and maintenance. It was found that for the two experimental diets, growth was compromised due to a caloric deficit in both diets. In addition, NIH 2000 was deficient in other nutrients such as iron. Analysis of other parameters such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, salivary protein, saliva flow and weight of vital organs upon autopsy revealed a picture of iron deficiency in the NIH 2000 group. Caries formation can be precipitated by a mechanism influenced by a nutrient deficit.