An experiment called “Vipeholm”, which started in the 1940s and lasted until the 50s, would be a very important development in terms of dental health, but it would also be remembered as one of the most controversial experiments in history.
So, what made the Vipeholm experiment the target of criticism and what contributions did it have to oral and dental health?
Although it may sound strange, dentists in the early 20th century did not have sufficient knowledge about the causes of tooth decay.
At the same time, the habit of brushing teeth was not as common in this period as it is now because people had not yet realized how important it was for dental health. However, dental caries was one of the most common problems.
The Swedish government decided to take a step to put an end to this situation and various dentists were tasked with finding a permanent solution to tooth decay. But before figuring out how to prevent cavities, it was necessary to discover what caused it.
It was decided that the most appropriate place to find these reasons was Vipeholm Hospital in Lund, Sweden.
In the first place, mental patients from all over the country were brought to this hospital. The doctors, content with telling mental patients that only their teeth would be treated, did not specify that they would include them in a trial. The experiment began when the subjects gradually began to adapt to the environment in which they lived.
The main purpose of the study was to determine what the relationship between carbohydrate intake and tooth decay would be when people in some groups were given candies and caramel between meals, while other groups were given extra carbohydrates at meal times.
It was funded by the government and chocolate and confectionery manufacturers, and the study was carried out under the control of the Swedish Medical Board.
The subjects were divided into two groups by doctors to compare how changes in the amount and timing of their sugar consumption affected their dental health.
While the first group ate the sugar in the bread given at meal time, the other group consumed this sugar with one and a half glasses of a sweetened drink. The last group ate sweets, chocolate and caramel-shaped candies, which were specially produced to stick to children’s teeth, between meals.
By the end of the experiment, 2,125 cases of tooth decay were identified, and most subjects who continued to follow these diets continued to experience increased tooth decay.
With this study, it was understood that sugar actually causes tooth decay, and this experiment provided important evidence revealing the negative effects of excessive sugar consumption on dental health. But the candy and chocolate makers certainly didn’t like the results of this study, and reports of the experiment weren’t published for a while.
Then, in 1953, this study was announced to the public, and this experiment, called Vipeholm, became the center of controversy. The fact that the subjects selected for the experiments were mentally disabled and the dental health of hundreds of people were disregarded for the sake of an experiment attracted all the criticism.
However, with this experiment, a concept called “Lördags godis” (Saturday candy) emerged and became widespread in a short time. The meaning of Saturday candy was that children were allowed to eat this candy only on Saturdays and the aim was to minimize sugar intake.
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