Abstract
Summary
A study was conducted to determine the effect of molybdenum and fluoride upon dental caries in the albino rat. Addition of 25 ppm molybdenum to the drinking water decreased the incidence of dental caries by 18% while addition of 25 ppm fluoride decreased the caries incidence by 32%. Addition of both 25 ppm molybdenum and 25 ppm fluoride resulted in a greater effect, with the caries incidence reduced by 52%. Fluoride analysis performed upon the femurs, incisors, and whole carcasses confirmed earlier reports that the presence of molybdenum is associated with an increased skeletal retention of fluoride. The analysis of the carcasses for molybdenum indicated comparable concentrations of molybdenum in the presence and absence of fluoride suggesting that the increased anticariogenic effectiveness and skeletal retention of fluoride in the presence of molybdenum may be due to the ability of molybdenum to increase the metabolic availability of the fluoride ion.
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