Dietary Advice Flashcards
What factors place a patient at high risk for caries?
High sugar intake
Inadequate oral hygiene
No fluoride exposure
Irregular dental attendee
Medically compromised
Xerostomia
What investigations may be carried out to understand caries development?
Diet analysis
Investigating fluoride intake
Oral hygiene practices
Bitewing radiographs
What are the 3 important factors in caries control?
Plaque control
Use of fluoride
Dietary modification
Name 3 studies that have helped identify the relationship between sugar and caries?
1-Vipeholm study
2-Turku study - longitudinal study looking at partial substitution of dietary sucrose with xylitol
3-Stephan curve - Relation of plaque pH and time after sucrose rinse
According to WHO, what is the recommended free sugar intake amount?
Intake should not exceed 10% of total energy consumption
Approx 50g/person/day or 18kg/person/year
Mention factors that are associated with caries incidence
• Amount of fermentable carbohydrate eaten
• Sugar concentration of food
• Physical form of carbohydrate
• Oral retentiveness
• Frequency of eating meals and snacks
• Length of interval between eating
• Sequence of food consumption
Name 4 forms of carbohydrates that can cause caries?
Sucrose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose
What is the meaning of no added sugar?
It means there are sugars already present even if none has been added! “ hidden sugar”
What needs to be recorded by the patient/mother of a child on the diet sheet?
- Types/names of food and drink consumed
- The quantity
- Times of eating and drinking
How long should should a diet diary/record be taken for?
3 days- including 2 working days and 1 leisure day or weekend
How many days should the diet be recorded?
3 days- including 2 working days and 1 leisure day or weekend
What key things should be pointed out to a patient during diet analysis?
- Number of free sugar exposures
- Consistency of food - Dry, sticky foods take longer to be cleared
- Sugary foods/drinks before bed - implications of reduced salivary flow
- Hidden sugars - e.g. beans, breakfast cereals, ketchup, plain biscuits
- In-between meals (snacking)
Examples of Hidden sugar
baked beans, breakfast cereals, tomato ketchup and ‘plain’ biscuits
What advice they will give to the patient/parents after analysing the child’s dietary intake?
- Reducing sugary snacks - use healthy alternatives
- Avoid adding sugar e.g. teas & coffee
- Best time to have fruit drinks - meal time when there is high salivary flow
- Eat sweet treats all at one time - reduces number of sugary exposures
- Try to drink plain water and milk between meals
- Increase fresh veg and fruit intake
- Avoid food intake within 20 minutes before bedtime
- Drink acidic drinks through a straw
What are the differences between Extrinsic and Intrinsic erosion?
Extrinsic erosion is caused by acid originating outside the body (for example
in drinks)
Intrinsic erosion is due to stomach acid reaching the teeth (Tends to be 100 times stronger)
What is Stephanie curve?
A graph that shows what happens after the consumption of sugar in relation to dental caries
