PRECISE CONTROL OF THE FREQUENCY AND AMOUNT OF FOOD PROVIDED FOR SMALL LABORATORY-ANIMALS BY A NEW ELECTRONIC METERING TECHNIQUE, USED TO EVALUATE THE CARIOGENIC POTENTIAL OF CHOCOLATE

A new electronic system was set up for accurately regulating the amoun t and frequency of food dispensed to laboratory rats so that investiga tions of the cariogenic potential of foods can be carried out under st rictly controlled conditions according to the stipulations of the San Antonio Consensus Conference, 1985. The system was used to evaluate th e cariogenicity of sucrose incorporated into plain and milk chocolate. The results suggested that 18.75% of sucrose in the diet had the same cariogenic potential no matter whether it was in the form of fine cry stals or incorporated into plain chocolate, but mean caries scores wer e nearly 30% higher on a plain chocolate than on a milk chocolate regi me.