Diet patterns and dental caries in third grade U. S. children.

ABSTR.'.cr The purpose of this study was to investigate further the relationship between ititake of sucrose-containing foods and the prevalence of caries in a natural population of children. The study population was made up of 958 Caucasian third grade children frotn Minneapolis, Diet and brushing information was collected throngh personal interviews with the children. Four methods of coding diet information were used: (1) Confection Counting (the number of sucrose-containing items consumed during a 24-hour period); (2) Exposure Counting (to collapse sucrose-containing itetns consumed in a 30-min interval into one sucrose exposure); (3) Minneapolis Oral Retention Estimate (an assessment of usual consumption, 24-hour recall, brushing and consumption of water to estimate likelihood that the individual had sucrose in the oral eavity during a typical day); and (4) "Hidden" Sugar Es. timate (utilization of food composition tables to estimate iti teaspoons how much sucrose , : , '~ was consumed during a 24-hour period). The study shows few, if any, relationships existing • ' between consumption of sucrose-eontaining foods and def or DMF teeth in both mealtime and between-meal periods. , _