Heritability estimates for dental caries and sucrose sweetness preference

SummaryObjective m of this study was to determine heritability estimates for dental caries traits and sucrose sweetness preference. ipants included 115 pairs of twins 4–7-years-old. Caries exams followed NIDCR criteria where the severity of the lesion was also determined. Twins ranked their preference for five concentrations of sucrose/grape juice solutions (0.15–1.17 M) with a Face Scale. Variables submitted to analysis: (1) surface-based caries prevalence rate (SBCPR); (2) lesion severity index (LSI); (3) sucrose sweetness preference score (SSPS). Heritability analyses were performed with the SOLAR software package. s bility estimates adjusted for age and gender were: SBCPR − h2 = 64.6 (p < .00001), LSI − h2 = 61.7 (p < .00001) and SSPS − h2 = 55.2 (p < .00001). Treating SPSS as a covariate in the SBCPR and LSI models did not alter heritability estimates. sions results suggest that variation in dental caries traits and sucrose sweetness preference have a significant genetic contribution that is mediated independently.