title: Heritability estimates for dental caries and sucrose sweetness preference.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine heritability estimates for dental caries traits and sucrose sweetness preference.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 115 pairs of twins 4-7-years-old. Caries exams followed NIDCR criteria where the severity of the lesion was also determined. Twins ranked their preference for five concentrations of sucrose/grape juice solutions (0.15-1.17M) with a Face Scale. Variables submitted to analysis: (1) surface-based caries prevalence rate (SBCPR); (2) lesion severity index (LSI); (3) sucrose sweetness preference score (SSPS). Heritability analyses were performed with the SOLAR software package.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heritability estimates adjusted for age and gender were: SBCPR-h(2)=64.6 (p<.00001), LSI-h(2)=61.7 (p<.00001) and SSPS-h(2)=55.2 (p<.00001). Treating SPSS as a covariate in the SBCPR and LSI models did not alter heritability estimates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that variation in dental caries traits and sucrose sweetness preference have a significant genetic contribution that is mediated independently.
authors.affiliation: College of Dentistry, New York University, 345 East 24th St., New York, NY 10010, USA. walter.bretz@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Walter A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Bretz
authors.forename: Patricia M A
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Corby
authors.forename: Mário R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Mânia Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.forename: Simone M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Schork
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drewnowski
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000235:genetics*; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics*; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000502:physiology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics*; D014427:Twins
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose