Nutrition, diet, and

oral health

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

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