Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
From 1946 until 1951, the Swedish Government, with funding from Sugar and Chocolate manufacturers, carried out one of the most disturbing experiments into the effect of sugar on a person’s teeth. Human subjects were fed high sugar diets, including a specially created toffee designed to stick to teeth. These human subjects were found at the Vipeholm Hospital, which housed people with various learning or mental disabilities, who were unable to consent to the 6 year long experiment. By the end, those forced to eat the high sugar diets were left with dozens of cavities each, without any follow up treatment.
From 1946 until 1951, the Swedish Government, with funding from Sugar and Chocolate manufacturers, carried out one of the most disturbing experiments into the effect of sugar on a person’s teeth. Human subjects were fed high sugar diets, including a specially created toffee designed to stick to teeth. These human subjects were found at the Vipeholm Hospital, which housed people with various learning or mental disabilities, who were unable to consent to the 6 year long experiment. By the end, those forced to eat the high sugar diets were left with dozens of cavities each, without any follow up treatment.
