Taste-sensitivity as a Screening Tool for Dental Caries

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K09579
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 57030:Conservative dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences
• Principal Investigator: ARAKAWA Makoto 千葉県立保健医療大学, 健康科学部, 准教授 (60379881)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 金子 潤 明海大学, 保健医療学部, 教授 (40301890)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: う蝕（カリエス） / 味覚 / リスク判定法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Dental caries still remains one of the most common diseases of mankind and many studies have demonstrated the relationship between high sugar consumption and dental caries. Sweet preference has been linked to the taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Individuals could be distinguished between non-tasters, medium-tasters, and super-tasters based on their PROP detection thresholds. However, such kind of research has not been performed in Japan. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between dental caries and taste sensitivity to PROP in order to identify individuals at higher risk of　developing dental caries in Japanese. The result showed there was a tendency of increasing number of dental caries as the taste sensitivity to PROP decreased. These results suggest that taste sensitivity to PROP could be a useful screening tool to identify individuals at higher risk of dental caries in Japanese people.

Free Research Field

保存系歯学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

う蝕（カリエス）リスク判定法は多くの種類があるが、未だに決定的な方法は確立していない。
本研究は、試薬を染み込ませたフィルターペーパー片を舌の上に載せる（濾紙ディスク法）だけで、う蝕（カリエス）リスクの高い人を判定できることを明らかにした。
この様な調査、報告は本邦では現在まで皆無であった。また、このような簡便な方法でう蝕（カリエス）リスクの高い人をスクリーニングすれば、現在増加中の根面う蝕の予防にも貢献できると考えられる。