Changes in dental hypoplasia and caries among the children of finnish lapps, 1939-50

Abstract

The changes found in both Fell and settled Lapps fall in line with other wartime studies and the conclusion of Toverud (1951) that “the knowledge gained through the greatest dietary experiment forced upon us strengthens the value of more natural foods and less of easily fermentable carbohydrates in the prophylaxis against dental caries.” The teeth of 92 settled and 11 nomadic Lapp children were inspected for caries and surface hypoplasia. The state of the teeth is compared with that existing in 1939. An attempt is made to correlate the changes found in the teeth with the alterations in diet during the intervening period. © 1954, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.