Dietary Habits and Oral Hygiene as Determinants of the Incidence and Intensity of Dental Caries-A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of dietary and hygiene habits on the prevalence and intensity of dental caries. A group of 148 adults participated in the study. METHODS: A self-administered nutrition and oral hygiene questionnaire was used to assess dietary habits and oral hygiene routine. A preventive diet index (PDI), a cariogenic diet index (CDI), and an oral health hygiene and prevention index (OHHPI) were created based on part of the questions. The intensity of dental caries among the respondents was investigated by the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFT), which was estimated on the basis of data obtained during the dental examination. RESULTS: The study showed that 97% of the respondents had filled carious cavities, while untreated carious cavities were observed in up to 78% of the study participants. The respondents had an average consumption of preventive products and a low consumption of caries-stimulating foods. The preventive dietary index (PDI) value was higher in the female group than in the male group. A more frequent consumption of caries-inhibiting products was demonstrated by those declaring that they took various types of dietary supplements. The use of health-promoting sugar substitutes by the respondents was associated with a lower intensity of dental caries and a more frequent consumption of preventive products. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the survey results indicates the need to implement educational activities aimed at increasing public awareness of the prevalence of dental caries among adults.

Do Body Composition and Values of Selected Nutritional Status Indices Influence the Glycaemic Index Values of Vegetarian Dishes? A Pilot Study in a Group of Older Women.

An ageing population brings with it the need for public policy to respond to the demands and health needs of this group of people. The ageing process has been shown to be associated with changes in body composition. These mainly concern a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat. Body composition and other indicators of nutritional status are important factors differentiating carbohydrate management. Glycaemic index (GI) values may be affected by differences resulting from individual metabolism. The rate of carbohydrate digestion is also influenced by a number of factors, including the degree to which the product is processed, the structure of the starch, and the presence of protein, fat and dietary fibre. Available studies do not provide information on the glycaemic response following the consumption of specific products by older people with varying BMI and body composition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the body mass index (BMI) values of women aged 50-80 years on the glycaemic response after eating vegetarian meals and the influence of selected indices of nutritional status on their GI values. It has been shown that the areas under the glycaemic curves after the consumption of the tested foods, both traditional and modified, are higher in the group of overweight and obese women. Nevertheless, the GI of meals consumed by those with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 is lower than that of foods consumed by women with normal values of this index. In the group of women with BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2, on the basis of an analysis of the obtained correlations, it was observed that the GI value of modified products depends on the percentage of body fat (FM%) (p = 0.0363) and the percentage of fat free mass (FFM%) (p = 0.0363), and, in the case of traditional products, also on the percentage of total body water (%) (p = 0.0133). In the group of women with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, significant correlations were only found between the GI of modified foods and the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (p = 0.0363) and the ratio of waist circumference to height (WHtR) (p = 0.0369) indices. The GI values of food set solely with the participation of young, healthy people should not be the basis for the nutrition planning of all groups of people.

Frequency of occurrence of metabolic syndrome risk factors in children and adolescents from the city of Wroclaw and surroundings

Background: A recently growing number of children and adolescents with overweight or obesity is indicative of the need for diagnosing their complications that may appear in the early childhood. For this reason, diagnostic criteria were developed for components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) also for these groups of the population. Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the frequency of metabolic syndrome risk factors occurrence in children and adolescents from the city of Wroclaw and surroundings depending on gender, age and physical activity. Material and methods: Investigations on the frequency of occurrence of dietary and non-dietary risk factors of the metabolic syndrome were carried out in the years 2010-2017 among 771 children and adolescents aged 10-18 year, attending to primary schools, gymnasiums and secondary schools in Wroclaw. Results: The lack of any components of the metabolic syndrome was demonstrated in 14.78% of the children aged 10-12 years as well as in 17.38% of both adolescents aged 13-15 and 17-18 years. One risk factor was most frequently diagnosed in children aged 10-12 years (17.89%) and it was arterial hypertension (16.08% of the whole surveyed population). Three MS components were demonstrated in 15 persons (1.95% of the whole surveyed population), including in 7 girls and 8 boys. The persons with three MS risk factors from the age category 13-15 years constituted 0.26% whereas these from the age category 17-18 years constituted 1.69% of the whole surveyed group. Conclusions: It shall be concluded that the incidence of the fully symptomatic MS depended significantly on the age of the surveyed, but not on their gender. Among the three adopted components of MS, the most frequently demonstrated disorders included: arterial hypertension, abdominal obesity and increased concentration of triglycerides in blood serum.

Relation between the Recipe of Yeast Dough Dishes and Their Glycaemic Indices and Loads.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the glycaemic indices (GI) and glycaemic loads (GL) of four food dishes made from yeast dough (steamed dumplings served with yoghurt, apple pancakes sprinkled with sugar powder, rolls with cheese and waffles with sugar powder), based on their traditional and modified recipes. Modification of the yeast dough recipe consisted of replacing wheat flour (type 500) with whole-wheat flour (type 2000). Energy value and the composition of basic nutrients were assessed for every tested dish. The study was conducted on 50 people with an average age of 21.7 ± 1.1 years, and an average body mass index of 21.2 ± 2.0 kg/m2. The GI of the analysed food products depended on the total carbohydrate content, dietary fibre content, water content, and energy value. Modification of yeast food products by replacing wheat flour (type 500) with whole-wheat flour (type 2000) contributed to the reduction of their GI and GL values, respectively.