Alhendi, R., Holt, E., & Morris, C. (2018). Dietary influence on inflammation.

Dimensions of
Dental Hygiene, 16(01), 34-36,39. Retrieved from https://
dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/article/dietary-influence-on-inflammation/

1. This article talks about how diet can have the potential to effect inflammation in the oral

cavity, as it does in the rest of the body. It focuses on the differences between the Western diet,

which is high in pro-inflammatory foods, and the Middle Eastern diet that has more anti-

inflammatory foods. Adjusting your diet to focus on more anti-inflammatory foods can help keep

inflammation down and lead to a healthier oral cavity. Lists of common foods in each diet along

with pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods are given as reference. The article also

points out the role of dental hygienists in being knowledgeable of nutrition so that they can

provide beneficial nutritional counseling to patients.

2. A) I thought the article was really informative and interesting to read. The beginning of the

article was more focused on components of inflammation, foods that either increased or reduced

inflammation, and diet differences between the Western and Middle Eastern diets. While you’re

still thinking about all of that, the article switches its focus back on your role as a dental

hygienist in providing nutritional counseling. This was a great way to really emphasize that just

knowing this information isn’t going to help the patients, you need to be able to talk to them

about it so that they can make informed decisions.

B1) I feel like the information in the article was really helpful. It took a variety of things I had

learned about in various classes and connected them in ways I hadn’t thought about.

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B2) I think any time I read or watch something about food and being more healthy it gives

you motivation to do better and be better. This article was no different. On top of that though, it

added a component of how important it is to relay that information to patients so they too can

feel that same effect.

C) I agree with the information they presented in the article. I think that our diets do play a

big role in what goes on in our mouth and that foods that cause inflammation would be no

different. I also agree that the Western diet is full of things that are not helping our health and

altering it more towards a Middle Eastern diet could help this.

D) This information will definitely be helpful in my future career. Not only the specific

inflammation components of diets, but the reminder of how important providing nutritional

counseling is to a patient. It also pointed out that sometimes nutritional counseling isn’t provided

as much as it should because of a lack in knowledge or confidence of the knowledge. Making

sure that doesn’t happen by taking nutrition continuing education will help me give my patients

the best nutritional counseling I can.

E) This article was interesting in that most of the components I already knew, but I hadn’t

connected the big picture. I think one new thing that I did learn from this article was that it’s

important to keep in mind a person’s traditions and culture when giving nutritional counseling.

Working the diet/counseling around these components will be important. I knew from class that

foods someone didn’t like and diet restrictions like with a vegan were important to follow, but I

hadn’t thought about other areas like religion and culture.

F) This information relates a lot to what I’ve learned in this class. The majority of the foods

that the article discussed as being pro-inflammatory were foods that we’ve talked about in class

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as not being good to eat anyway. These foods included saturated fats, red meat, refined carbs,

and sugar. It also connected to why the nutritional counseling session is so important. Even if we

won’t typically have a counseling session like the one we are doing for class, being comfortable

providing nutritional counseling will be very important.