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Acid-Base Balance of Diet Which Produces Immunity to Dental Caries Among the South Sea Islanders and Other Primitive Races
Among the many theories regarding the controlling factors for immunity to dental caries, "potential alkalinity" has been stressed by many as playing the controlling role. It is very clear that a satisfactory approach to this problem will require the consideration of many diets which have been competent to establish and maintain a very high immunity. No modem civilization provides such a control group, since dental caries is active and in certain groups rampant among the individuals of all of our modernized peoples. It is for this reason I have been making expeditions during several years to reach the remnants of primitive racial stocks who, like their ancestors, are characterized by a very high immunity to dental caries and who by their isolation make possible a critical study of the variables at the point of contact with modern civilization where the high immunity changes to a high susceptibility to tooth decay.