ABSTRACT
Conservative estimates indicate that more than 200 different disease entities are expressed by structural and functional alteration in the oral cavity. This pronounced reactivity of the mouth structures has provided a fertile field in which to study tissue responses to microbial, chemical, physical, metabolic, genetic, and, nutritional insults under experimental conditions. Animal models have provided a means of eliciting details of the dynamics of many of the conditions that affect the human mouth. Studies have contributed significantly to a fuller comprehension of the pathogenesis and natural history of a wide range of local and systemic stomatologic diseases. The thyroid was made into a solution with water and administered orally through a medicine dropper. Animals were fed a stock diet plus a liberal supply of green vegetables. Survival time on the experimental regimen was from 6 to 104 days.
