It is widely accepted that all foods containing "fermentable carbohydrates" have the potential to contribute to caries formation. Fermentable carbohydrates are present in most starches and all sugars, including those that occur naturally in foods and those added in processed foods. The relative cariogenicity of chocolates is dependent on their composition, texture, solubility, retentiveness and ability to stimulate salivary flow. The composition of the chocolates has profound impact on its cariogenic potential. There are a wide range of chocolates available in the market and very few studies have compared the chocolates available in the Indian market. This study was an in vivo study done on 30 dental volunteers where the cariogenicity between filled and unfilled chocolates were compared by evaluating the pH of plaque at different time intervals taken at baseline and at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes using a pH meter. In unfilled group, milk chocolate had maximum pH drop at 20 minutes (5.895) and diet chocolate had minimum pH drop at 10 minutes (6.143). In filled group, fruit and nut had maximum pH drop at 20 minutes (5.713) and caramel had minimum pH drop at 15 minutes (5.817). The results between unfilled and filled chocolate were found to be statistically significant between 15-30 minutes (p < 0.0005) and suggestive that filled chocolates were more cariogenic than unfilled chocolates.
Keywords: Unfilled chocolates; filled chocolates; pH; plaque..