Vipeholm experiments

The Vipeholm experiments were a series of human experiments where patients of Vipeholm mental hospital in Lund were fed large amounts of sweets to provoke dental caries (1945-1955).The experiments were sponsored both by the sugar industry and dentist community, in an effort to determine whether carbohydrates affected dental caries.

The experiments have provided extensive knowledge about dental health and resulted in enough empirical data to link the intake of sugar to dental caries. However, today they are considered to have violated the principles of medical ethics.