Influence of diet on oral health in young adults--pilot study.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Diet is a factor that can modify, among others, the course of caries, dental erosive lesions and periodontal disease. It is important to know the influence of diet on the clinical oral condition in young adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 20 women and 20 men aged 19-21 participated in the study. During a clinical examination of the patients the following clinical indices were estimated Ap- proximal Plaque Index (API), Bleeding on Probing (BOP) and DMFT indices. The frequency and quality of food products consumed were noted in a special questionnaire. Results with p ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The average API value for the female participants was 77.37%, BOP--23.84% and DMFT--9.9. The t-test results for independent samples showed that women who consumed meat and meat products two times a week or more, had statistically higher API (p = 0.01) and BOP (p = 0.05) values, than the mean value for these indexes. Women who consumed grain products and grain-based products two times a week or more, had higher API values compared to the mean value for this index (p = 0.02). The average API value for the male participants was 34.25%, BOP--10.15% and DMFT--9.05, respectively. Men who consumed milk and dairy products three times a week or less had statistically lower API (p = 0.05) and BOP values (p = 0.02), relative to the mean index values. CONCLUSIONS: The chemical composition and texture of the food intake can affect oral health. Besides instruction in oral hygiene, doctors and dentists should also assess the eating habits of their patients.