Cariogenic effect of caffeine intake during lactation on first molars of newborn rats

Lactating dams with eight suckling pups were fed either a 20% protein diet as a control or experimentally a 20% protein diet supplemented with caffeine (2 mg/100g body weight) from the birth of the pups to day 22. At day 22, the pups from both groups were weaned and fed a cariogenic diet until day 50, when they were killed. Dental caries of the molars were scored from randomized mandibles. The enamel of the first molars in the caffeine group showed significantly higher caries scores than that of the controls. This appears to be the first unequivocal evidence that caffeine is a cariogenic agent when newborns are exposed to it during critical periods of tooth development. Therefore, the widespread human consumption of caffeine could be a threat to the healthy development of teeth.