title: Comparison of the intakes of sugars by young children with and without dental caries experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Relationships among sugars and dental caries in contemporary societies are unclear. The authors describe young children's intakes of nonmilk extrinsic (NME) and intrinsic/milk sugars and relate those intakes to dental caries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors conducted cross-sectional analyses of dietary data collected from the Iowa Fluoride Study using three-day diaries for subjects at ages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years and for subjects aged 1 through 5 years according to dental caries experience at 4.5 to 6.9 years of age. They categorized foods and beverages as containing NME or intrinsic/milk sugars.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects' total, NME, food NME and intrinsic/milk sugars intakes at ages studied did not differ between subjects with and without caries experience. Beverage NME sugars intakes at age 3 years predicted caries (P < .05) in logistic regression models adjusted for age at dental examination and for fluoride intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dental caries is a complex, multifactorial disease process dependent on the presence of oral bacteria, a fermentable carbohydrate substrate and host enamel. A simple NME-intrinsic/milk sugars categorization appears insufficient to capture the complex dietary component of the caries process.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cariogenicity is more likely a function of the food and/or beverage vehicle delivering the sugar and the nature of exposure-that is, frequency and length of eating events-than of the sugar's categorization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, N-335, Dental Science Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1010, USA. teresa-marshall@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Julie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Eichenberger-Gilmore
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001628:Beverages / Q000145:classification; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000145:classification; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005502:Food / Q000145:classification; D005632:Fructose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007785:Lactose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005632:Fructose; D005947:Glucose; D007785:Lactose; D005459:Fluorides