Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / Introduction: Dental caries has one the highest incidences in children and the host’s diet may be a major factor in determining susceptibility to the disease. A proposed tool to screen and identify high risk individuals uses a bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). The goal of this screening tool is to identify mothers and children who are Non-tasters (those who cannot taste PROP) and to educate them about their possible affinity towards sugar substances and its harmful effects on oral and general health. It is suggested that Non-taster children could be prioritized when providing preventative dental treatment. Aim: To validate the use of PROP as a screening tool for determining high caries risk individuals by identifying the taster status of mothers and children, their preference towards sugar, and its impact on their caries status. Methodology: 75 mother/ child pairs were recruited to participate in this study. Caries experience, sugar preference and taster status were determined for all the subjects. Comparisons were made between mothers and their children to find a possible association. Results: Caries experience was greater in individuals who were Non-tasters when compared to Super-tasters. A significant association between taster status and DMFT score was established (p<0.000). A significant association between taster status and sugar preference was established (p<0.000). A positive correlation with regard to taster status, sugar preference and caries experience was observed in mother/child pairs. Conclusion: Similarities in the mother's and child’s PROP taster status and its association with sugar preference allows such a screening test to identify individuals who are at high risk of developing dental caries. Early identification of mothers who are Non-tasters may allow the introduction of early intervention strategies and assist in the early detection of potentially high-risk children, especially in environments where resources are limited.

No description available.

Among humans, the density of lingual fungiform papillae (DFP) is correlated with taste sensitivity. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the evolution of the primate gustatory system through a comparative analysis of DFP. This investigation was conducted in three separate studies. The first study took a broad perspective incorporating data from 37 primate species to assess the relationships among DFP, body mass, taste sensitivity, and diet. Among the major findings of this first study: (1) Sucrose sensitivity was negatively correlated with DFP and positively correlated with papilla area. (2) Sucrose sensitivity was not correlated with the percent of leaves or fruit in the diet. (3) DFP and papilla area were correlated with diet. (4) The relationships between fungiform papillae and diet differed among different taxonomic groups. The second study of DFP investigated whether there are sex differences in the DFP of non-human primates, as there are in humans. In all five primate species investigated, females had higher mean DFPs than males. These sex differences were significant in Pan troglodytes and Cebus apella, and not significant in Alouatta palliata, Cercopithecus aethiops, or Varecia variegata. Pan, Cebus, and Homo share large relative brain sizes with associated life history parameters making each offspring very costly. Accordingly it was suggested that sex differences in DFP may be due to the particularly high risk of lacking nutrients or ingesting toxins for females of these three species. The third study was a comparison of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste ability and DFP in humans and chimpanzees. The major questions addressed in this study were (1) Is DFP correlated with PTC phenotype in chimpanzees as it is in humans? (2) Are there sex differences in PTC genotype and phenotype as there are in DFP? Although females had greater DFPs than males, and significantly more females had the genotype for higher PTC taste sensitivity, there was no correlation between DFP and PTC phenotype. Several explanations for the differences between human and chimpanzee results were offered, including small sample sizes for chimpanzees and greater accuracy in determining PTC sensitivity among humans. / text

Individuella smakupplevelser varierar stort och är delvis beroende av hur väl och intensivt individen kan urskilja grundsmaker. Jämfört med vuxna uppvisar barn en högre preferens för sött och starkare aversion mot bittert. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka 4-6-åriga förskolebarns förmåga att identifiera grundsmaker i livsmedel före och efter träning med grundsmaklösningar. Även barnens förmåga att verbalisera smakupplevelser innan grundsmakträning undersöktes. Studien genomfördes på en förskola, totalt elva barn deltog i studien som bestod av fyra moment. En gruppdiskussion om (grund)smaker, provsmakning av tio olika livsmedel med fortsatt samtal om vad dessa smakade. Tredje momentet var träning med grundsmaklösningar där barnen fick öva på att känna igen sött, surt, salt, bittert och umami. Sista momentet var ett grundsmaktest där barnen fick svara vilka grundsmaker de kunde identifiera i varje livsmedel. Resultaten visade på en signifikant skillnad förmåga att uppfatta salt jämfört med övriga grundsmaker, samt en markant ökad förmåga att både identifiera och verbalisera samtliga grundsmaker i livsmedel efter grundsmakträning. Från att ha benämnt ”gott” och ”äckligt” som smaker kunde barnen efter träning i större utsträckning sätta ord på och identifiera flera olika grundsmaker i livsmedlen de smakade. En kort grundsmakträning är en enkel metod som kan bidra till att få små barn att inta ett positivt, nyfiket förhållningssätt till nya smaker och mat i allmänhet. / Individual experiences of taste differs greatly and is partially due to both the ability to detect basic taste and the intensity at which it is interpreted. Compared to grown-ups, children tend to show a higher preference toward sweet and a greater aversion towards bitter. The purpose of this study was to examine 4-6-year old pre-school children’s ability to identify basic tastes in food before and after training with basic taste solutions. The children’s ability to articulate their taste experiences were also studied before basic taste training. The research were conducted at a single pre-school, eleven children participated in the study which involved four different parts. A group discussion about (basic) tastes, testing of ten different foods accompanied by continued conversations about what the food tasted like. The third part was training with basic taste solutions where the children got to practice recognizing sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. The last part were a basic taste test in which the children were asked to answer what basic tastes they could identify in each food. The results showed a significant difference in the children’s ability to identify salty tastes compared to other basic tastes, also a notably improved ability to detect and articulate all basic tastes after basic taste training. The children went from naming “tasty” and “disgusting” as tastes, to being able to put words on, and identify, many of the basic tastes in each food. A short training session with basic tastes is a simple method which can benefit young children by contributing to a more positive and curious approach towards new flavours and food in general.