Abstract
Conclusions
Disturbance of normal salivary flow in the rat results in an increased incidence of experimental caries. The effect is most marked in rats with retained mucous saliva on a caries-producing diet and is in direct proportion to the amount of serous saliva removed. Caries production has even been observed in operated rats deprived of their serous saliva when fed a diet known to produce minimal dental destruction. The lower ratio of fracture to carious lesions in rats with such saliva indicates that the rate of development of carious lesions in these groups is very rapid.
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