[Dental caries of the developmental age as a civilization disease]. / Próchnica wieku rozwojowego choroba cywlizacyjna.

According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), dental caries is a local pathological process of the extrasomatic background, leading to enamel decalcification, decomposition of dental hard tissue, and in consequence to formation of a dental cavity. Morbidity of dental caries increases with age, reaching 100% of children, aged from 6 to 7. Poland is one of few European countries where the incidence of dental caries in children did not decrease, despite recommendations of WHO for 2000 year, aimed at the decrease in the incidence of dental caries among 6-year-old children to the level of 50%. The recommendation of WHO for 2015 year is to reduce the incidence of dental caries to 30% among 6-year-olds, i.e., 70% of 6 year-old children should be free of dental caries. Apart from genetic conditioning, inappropriate health behaviors, nutritional habits and gastroesophageal reflux disease influence the development of dental caries. Consumption of 'fast food' and drinking sweetened beverages of low pH contribute markedly to the development of dental caries, decreasing simultaneously consumption of pro healthy foods, including milk and cereals. Taking into consideration perspective clinical examinations of children and adolescents, evaluating the relationship between dental caries and nutritional habits as well as environmental conditioning, the study shows current data about factors, contributing to the incidence of dental caries in children, collected from the literature. The attention was paid to the relationship between dental caries and gastroesophageal reflux disease and the necessity of its early diagnostics and proper treatment.

[Selected eating habits and caries occurrence in adolescents]. / Wybrane zachowania zywieniowe a wystepowanie próchnicy U Mlodziezy.

INTRODUCTION: Normal nutrition is an important element of caries prophylaxis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of chosen bad eating habits on caries occurrence in adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The examination was carried out in the group of 367 (68.5% girls and 31.5% boys) pupils of the 3rd year of high schools in Bialystok in 2011. Own questionnaire was used for the evaluation of eating habits. Caries intensity (PUW) was assessed by dental examination. To verify statistic hypotheses, the level of significance was estimated at p < 0.05. All calculation was performed with the use of the Statistic programme Statistica 7.0 (StatSoft). RESULTS: It was stated that 5 meals a day were consumed by 29.4% of examined pupils, 4 meals were eaten by 33.2%, 3 meals--by 31.3%, 2 meals--by 5.4%, and one meal was consumed by 0.5% of pupils. There were 55.3% of pupils who had irregular meals while 24.3% did not eat breakfast and 62.9%--did not have elevenses. Eating between meals was stated in 96.7% of pupils. Sweets consumption was revealed as follows: 16.8% several times a day, 19%--once a day, 40.5%--several times a week, 18.5%--several times a month, 5.2%--rarely or never. "Fast food" was not consumed by 34% of examined pupils while 54.6% consumed such meals several times a month, 10.9%--several times a week, and 0.5%--once a day. Higher level of caries intensity was observed in girls (mean coefficient PUW = 11.3) than in boys (mean coefficient PUW = 10.8). Mean coefficient PUW = 11.5 concerned pupils with consumption of fast food several times a month while PUW = 11.0 in those who consumed it several times a week, and PUW = 10.7 in pupils who eat rarely or never such food. As far as eating sweets, PUW was higher than mean (12.4) in pupils who eat sweets several times a day. Persons who eat between meals were characterized by higher coefficient (PUW = 13.0) as compared to those who eat between meals rarely (PUW = 11.3) and those who do not eat between meals (PUW = 8.9). CONCLUSIONS: (1) Bad eating habits (irregular meals, skipping breakfast, eating between meals as well as overeating sweets) in the developmental age can be a significant caries coefficient in adolescents. 2. High mean coefficient PUW in the examined group of 18-year-old pupils, in relation to abnormal eating habits in the significant percentage of those pupils, indicates the necessity of health education as far as caries prophylaxis is concerned.