Peter Bray wrote of an employee with tooth decay as an occupational
hazard of beekeeping and honey. I sent him the following but was
hesitant to post it on the list after all the complaints about bandwith.
 
> "So, it was the refined sugar fault!"--  reprinted  from  The  Minnesota Beekeepers,  Spring  1996,  Minnesota Honey Producers Association,  Inc., Originaly printed May 1955 - ABJ
>
> Waugh a'nd Waugh (1940) studied the effects of natural and refined sugars on the mouth bacteria (Lactobacilli) and caries development among primitive Eskimos.  In most cases the feeding experiments lasted five to six  weeks.  They found that practically 100 percent of those free from caries in the group fed natural sugars  (raisins  dried figs,  maple syrup,  honey,  dates)  remained free from caries and showed a drop from the original percentage of bacteria. Of those who had various teeth, 57.16 percent  showed,  on an average,  an increase of 1.67 cavities per person (none in honey group) which might be considered  a  normal  increase  'for actively various mouths.  From those figures it was concluded that the Eskimo s natural  sugars do not initiate or cause an increase in the growth  of oral bacteria; neither do natural sugars initiate or cause an increase in dental cavities.
>
> Of those free from dental caries in the group fed refined sugars (preserved  figs,  candy bars, lollipops,  sugar solution, sugar canes) 72.95 percent showed inception of caries,  with an average of 2.6 cavities.    Of  those  with  various mouths,  100  percent  showed an increase in the number of cavities, with  an  average  increase  of  4-9 cavities, which must be regarded as an increase far above normal for a five or six week period.   In the group fed natural sugar,  81.90 percent  showed  inhibition  of  the growth of oral bacteria,  and these organisms were present in 100 percent of  the mouths  at  the end of the feeding period.  From these figures it was concluded then with Eskimos refined sugars made an increase in the growth of mouth bacteria and also initiate and cause an increase in dental caries.
>
> From the  Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and Bureau of Plant Industry  newsletter.
>
It was to be an article for the MSBA newsletter, but still have not
found room for it.
Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME