RESEARCH nutrition and plaque pH, but also determined that enamel demineralisation should be further developed as a model. Dental erosion was not perceived as a problem, at that time, and was not mentioned in the deliberations. The animal model has continued to be used. Researchers, and other authorities, wishing to determine the cariogenic potential of foods, drinks and some oral medicines, have used the plaque pH models. The enamel demineralisation model, often called the intra-oral cariogenicity test (ICT), has been further developed since the San Antonio conference, so that it is now widely used for cariogenicity testing. Variants of the ICT, also known as the in situ model, are now being developed to test foods and drinks for erosion, but need evaluation.Accordingly on 8 and 9 November 1999, a group of dental scientists and clinicians met in London (UK) to review the San Antonio recommendations, reassess them and draw up revised guidelines. The aim was to determine which methods are currently suitable as research tools but also for regulatory assessments.The conference was directed by Professor John Hefferren, previously Chairman of the San Antonio meeting, and who lead the discussions of all delegates. In each of the four workshop sessions, under the guidance of a chairman, a presenter gave a prepared report to update the information on a particular method or group of methodologies. Each presentation was then commented on by a reactor and then by open discussion of all delegates. On the second day individual workshops were held involving small groups of delegates and working documents prepared presenting draft new guidelines.In a final plenary session all of the working documents were reconsidered and refined. Subsequently, the chairman of each working group was asked to prepare a draft document that was then circulated and commented upon by all delegates. After final editing the consensus opinions are presented in this document.
Organisation of the textThe following text is organised to consider the four main groups of models for cariogenicity and erosion evaluation. The first is the animal model, usually based on the rat using an automatic feeding machine. The second group concerns the various approaches to assess plaque pH responses to the use of foods. The third model is the enamel demineralisation method and the fourth is that concerning assessment of the erosive potential of foods. Readers should consider this document in association with the San Antonio publication 1 which gives the original guidelines for methodologies in great detail. Herein only suggested changes or comments on the original have been made.
Animal models:Workshop group: M. E. J. Curzon, J. J. Hefferren, P. M. Marsh and P. Mtolo The group agreed that animal testing (usually with the laboratory rat) remains an important model to assess cariostatic and cario-