Calcification of Teeth and Bones on Rachitic and Non-Rachitic Diets. ∗

Abstract

Changes in teeth as a result of deficient diets have been reported by a number of investigators. McCollum, Simmonds and Kinney 1 produced a number of defects in the teeth of rats by feeding rachitic diets. Orban, 2 by means of histological examination, found poor calcification in the incisor teeth of rats on a number of deficient diets. Mellanby 3 , 4 reported poor calcification in the teeth of dogs and rabbits on rachitic diets. Toverud 5 obtained a small reduction in the ash, calcium, and phosphorus in the teeth of rats on a diet deficient in calcium. Perlzweig 6 found decreases in calcium and phosphorus in the incisor teeth of rats on diets low in either calcium or phosphorus, the low calcium diet giving a greater decrease than the low phosphorus diet.

The object of this investigation was to determine whether the calcium, phosphorus, and ash of the incisor teeth of rats would undergo changes similar to those produced in bone by a rachitic diet known to produce marked changes in bone. The Steenbock diet as modified by Epstein 7 was employed. This consists of the following and will be referred to as the basal diet:

Yellow corn meal 66%, wheat gluten 20%, egg albumin 10%, calcium carbonate 3%, sodium chloride 1%, spinach 10 gm. per rat per day, water ad lib.

Excluding the spinach, this diet contains 1.22 gm. Ca and 0.09 gm. P. (ratio 13.5 :1) in 100 gm. of the ration and produces marked rickets accompanied by good growth. 7 The addition of 2% KH₂PO₄ or 2% cod liver oil to this diet prevents rickets. 7

The teeth and bones (femur) were compared on 2 groups of diets as follows:

Group I—(1) Basal; (2) Basal + 2% KH₂PO₄; (3) Basal + 2% KH₂PO₄ + 2% cod liver oil.