Nutrition, diet, and oral health

Nutrient: substances found in food that provide energy, promote growth and repair tissues, and regulate metabolism

Nutrition and diet

Nutrition: the study of food and nutrients and their effect on health, growth and development of the individual.
Diet: the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism a diet is the usual selection of foods eaten by a person or animal

Diet counseling
Diet counseling: is a meeting between dentist and patient to know more about the patients diet and provide an advice for a healthy diet.

Why diet counseling is important?

To know more about patients diet To assess the quality of the diet (good or bad diet) To assess patients eating habits To evaluate the potential of patients diet toward the oral health.

How a diet can be healthy?

Healthy diet is a balanced diet that naturally supplies all the essential nutrients for body.

How a diet can be healthy?

(continue) Balanced diet should include the following daily:
Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars

Food Pyramid
Food Guide Pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy

Food Pyramid

Protein
(4 calories/gram)

Proteins: are large organic compounds made of amino acids. Daily requirements:
women need 46 grams of protein per day. men need 56 grams of protein per day

Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient diet.

Minerals
(0 calories/gram)

chemical elements required by living organisms Support biochemical reactions. e.g.

Calcium (bone, tooth structure, and muscles), Iron (hemoglobin), and Iodine (Thyroxin)

Appropriate intake levels of minerals are required to maintain optimal health

Vitamins
(0 calories/gram)

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. Not synthesis in sufficient quantities by the body. Must be obtained from diet. Have diverse functions:
As hormones (vitamin D) As antioxidants (vitamin E) Collagen synthesis (vitamin C)

Vitamins deficiency
Deficiency: improper amount:
Primary (insufficient intake) Secondary (improper use)

Vitamins deficiencies interfere with proper function of vitamins:

-Scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency

Carbohydrates (4 calories/gram)
Simple organic compounds that are aldehydes or ketones with many hydroxyl groups added. Have Multiple roles such as: storage and transport of energy (starch, glycogen) structural components (cellulose in plants)

Carbohydrates
Classification:
Monosaccharide : e.g. glucose , fructose Disaccharides: e.g. milk sugar (lactose) , cane sugar (sucrose). Complex (oligosaccharides and polysaccharides) e.g. starch, cellulose

Carbohydrates and caries

Bacteria in the oral cavity (Streptococcus mutants) convert certain carbohydrates into lactic acid (fermentation). These carbohydrates called fermentable carbohydrates (e.g.: sucrose, glucose, fructose) Lactic acid lead to demineralization of tooth surface (loss of minerals)

Cariogenic potential of food

Cariogenic potential: ability to cause caries. The cariogenic potential of food depend on:
composition texture solubility retentiveness ability to stimulate saliva flow