Comparison of dietary habits and dental health of subjects with hereditary fructose intolerance and control subjects.

Persons with HFI follow a lifelong, self-imposed, sucrose-restricted diet in which foods containing sucrose are consumed infrequently. Our subjects with HFI had a total sucrose intake that was approximately 5% that of control subjects and had a caries score (DMFS) that was less than 10% that of control subjects. No significant differences were found in the oral hygiene status (plaque or oral hygiene indexes) of the two groups. Foods containing starch, in the absence of sucrose, are not articularly inducive to caries. The daily intake of sucrose of the control group was less than expected. Consumption of sucrose is, therefore, less than estimates calculated by per capita sucrose disappearance. We consider that caries is initiated when the sucrose content of the diet and the frequency of ingestion exceed a low limit.