Twenty‐eight lactovegetarians as well as age‐ and sex‐matched controls were interviewed about their dietary habits, especially the frequency of ingesting acid fruits, drinks and foods, as well as their dental health habits. Samples of stimulated saliva were collected in connection with the clinical and radiologic study. Plaque, Gingival and Calculus Indices were not significantly different in lactovegetarians and controls. Of the lactovegetarians 76.9% and of the controls none had dental erosions on some tooth surfaces. In lactovegetarians the rate of flow of stimulated saliva was lower than in controls but did not decrease with advancing age as it did in controls. Salivary pH was lower in lactovegetarians than in controls.

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Ascorbic acid (AA) affects in vitro growth of bacteria and may also act in vivo to decrease caries activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association of AA level in plasma with number of caries lesions, relative numbers of some species of oral cariogenic flora, and rate of salivary secretion. The caries status and some bacteriologic variables of dentulous adult subjects with a low level of AA in the plasma (≤25 μmol/1; n=75) were compared with those of controls (plasma level ≥50 μmol/1; n=75) matched for age, sex, and number of teeth. For each subject, site‐specific recordings of the presence or absence of plaque, dental caries, fillings, and erosions were recorded clinically by the same dentist in a double‐blind system. The amounts of visible plaque and numbers of decayed tooth surfaces were significantly higher in the low AA group than in the controls. No between‐group differences were found in the number of fillings and the amount of oral bacterial growth. The frequencies of consumption of vegetables, berries, and other fruit were significantly lower in the low AA group than in the controls.

Socioeconomic factors, detal status, health behaviour and some environmental factors were scrutinized in relation to the need for periodontal treatment. A linear multiple regression model was fitted to test which variables best explain the need of periodontal treatment. The subjects (315) of the study were employees of a paper mill in Finland. The periodontal status was classified according to a modified Periodontal Treatment Need System. The data on background variables was collected by a self-administered questionnaire. About 30% of the treatment need could be explained with the above factors. The order of the factors determining the periodontal treatment need was: number of teeth (13.3%), age (13.2%), education (0.9%), toothbrushing frequency (0.6%), and use of chewing gum (0.3%).