Mixed
The sugar industry successfully influenced the 1971 National Caries Program (NCP) to prioritize interventions that reduce the harm of sugar consumption (e.g., fluoride, dextranases, vaccines) over restricting sugar intake, thereby deflecting attention from the causal role of sucrose in dental caries.
Be skeptical of public health initiatives that focus on 'harm reduction' technologies (like additives or enzymes) while ignoring the need to limit sugar intake. If an industry group promotes a technical solution that allows continued high consumption of a product, scrutinize their motives, as they may be trying to avoid stricter regulations on consumption.
The sugar industry could not deny the role of sucrose in dental caries given the scientific evidence. They therefore adopted a strategy to deflect attention to public health interventions that would reduce the harms of sugar consumption rather than restricting intake.
Why this rating
Based on internal industry documents and NIDR records, though it is a historical case study rather than a clinical trial.
Source
Sugar Industry Influence on the Scientific Agenda of the National Institute of Dental Research’s 1971 National Caries Program: A Historical Analysis of Internal Documents
Cristin Kearns et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2015
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001798
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