The Effect of Diet Consistency on Plaque Formation and Development of Gingivitis in Rheusus Monkey

Abstract

The effect of hard and soft diets on plaque formation and development of gingivitis in Rheusus monkey has been investigated.
On day 0, 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 the degree of gingivitis arround the following twenty teeth 76521 12567 76521 12567 were scored according to the modified gingival index of Löe & Silness.
On the same tooth, the extent of plaque were scored according to the debris index of Greene & Vermillion.
The same procedure was carried out more 6 weeks to minimize the experimental error.
The results of this study indicate that monkeys given a soft diet accumulate more bacterial plaque and develop more gingivitis than when they are given a hard diet.
The difference of the extent of plaque between the monkey fed on soft diet and hard diet was statistically significant (P<0.01).
The significant difference (P<0.05) of the development of gingivitis between at the beginning and at the end of the experiment can be seen only in the monkey fed on soft diet.