Most people tend to think that their dental health is separate from their overall health, which is not the case. We require nutritious foods to keep our bodies healthy and strong. If our oral health is suffering, our inability to actually chew foods (whether we have tooth loss or painful infections) diminishes, and our overall health suffers. Our oral health suffers as well from the not so nutritious foods and drinks that many of us indulge in. The following study demonstrates how closely connected our oral health is connected the food we eat. Read on to learn more, and thanks for visiting us at Advanced Endodontics.
A strong connection exists between the food people eat and their oral health, according to an updated position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, May 2013, Vol. 113:5, pp. 693-701).
“It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that nutrition is an integral component of oral health,” wrote the authors, Riva Touger-Decker, RD, PhD, a professor and the department chair at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and Connie Mobley, PhD, the associate dean of research and a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine. “The academy supports integration of oral health with nutrition services, education, and research. Collaboration between dietetics practitioners and oral healthcare professionals is recommended for oral health promotion and disease prevention and intervention.”
According to the paper, dental caries “is the most prevalent, chronic, common, and transmissible infectious oral condition in humans.” In addition, a person’s overall health can be affected by tooth loss, since declining periodontal health can lead to diminished dietary quality because of lack of essential nutrients in a person’s diet.
“As knowledge of the connection between oral and nutrition health increases, it highlights the importance of dietetics practitioners and oral healthcare professionals to provide screening, education, and referrals as part of comprehensive client/patient care,” the authors wrote.
Collaborative endeavors between dietetics, dentistry, medicine, and allied health professionals in research, education, and delineation of practice roles are needed to ensure comprehensive healthcare, they concluded.
Continue reading HERE.
