Bone lesions and dental caries after gastrectomy--evaluation of milk intolerance and operative procedure.

We investigated the development of bone lesions and dental caries in 350 patients who had undergone gastrectomy during the 11 year period from 1968 to 1978, on the basis of bone mineral content (BMC), decayed missing and filled (DMF) teeth and urinary c-AMP. We found that patients with low BMC and incidence of DMF teeth increased in number during the postoperative years; These abnormalities were, in comparison to the Billroth-I (B-I) and milk intake groups, significant in the Billroth-II (B-II) and non-milk intake groups. Among the gastrectomized patients, those with increased DMF teeth had significantly higher contents of urinary c-AMP. The possibility that secondary hyperparathyroidism resulting from gastrectomy contributes to the development and incidence of dental caries has to be given consideration.