A tooth-healthy diet is the third important pillar of dental prophylaxis, along with proper oral hygiene techniques and regular fluoride application. The purpose of nutritional counseling is to show you the connections between your eating habits and possible diseases of the teeth and periodontium, to trigger a change in thinking towards a tooth-healthy diet and to accompany you. The vast majority of people today are aware of the connection between frequent sugar consumption and increased caries risk (“holes in the teeth”). Nevertheless, eating a healthy diet does not necessarily mean completely avoiding sugar. A healthy diet, on the other hand, is not necessarily the same as a healthy diet for teeth – this statement is particularly surprising for health-conscious people who do not want to do without fruit, fruit juices or salads with acidic dressings in their daily diet and thus expose their teeth to a high risk of erosion due to frequent demineralization (decalcification) and loss of hardness (erosion: chemical dissolution of the hard tooth substance without the action of bacteria). Appropriate oral hygiene recommendations and fluoride-containing rinsing solutions reduce this risk. It is very difficult to change habits that have become ingrained over the years. It makes sense, therefore, that nutritional counseling should include the whole family to give children the chance to develop tooth-healthy eating habits from the outset.
Goals of nutritional counseling in dentistry
Based on the above examples, it is clear that nutrition counseling in dentistry goes beyond recommending moderate sugar consumption. It must be adapted to people’s individual habits and needs and includes, among other things, information and education about
- The relationship between frequent sugary meals/drinks and caries development at increased risk of caries,
- The effect of frequent acid attacks on tooth enamel when there is a risk of erosion,
- The correct timing of tooth brushing in relation to dietary habits,
- The stimulating effect of food that needs to be chewed on saliva production when saliva flow is reduced,
- Sugar substitutes (sweeteners without energy value, such as saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame),
- Sugar substitutes (eg xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, isomalt, Lycasin 80/55),
- Tooth-friendly confectionery (symbol: tooth man with umbrella),
- The value of sugar-free or better: xylith-containing chewing gum,
- The fluoride content in table salt, food, drinking water and mineral water and.
- The value of calcium– and casein-containing foods.
Indications (areas of application)
- Prevention and adjunctive therapy of
- Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums).
- Dental caries
- Periodontitis (infectious, inflammatory disease of the periodontium (periodontium) with gum recession).
- Pregnancy (here as a prophylactic measure).
The procedure
The basis of nutritional counseling is an individual nutritional analysis, which is based on the current knowledge of nutritional medicine. It serves as a detailed analysis of the individual nutritional situation. The nutritional analysis:
- Determines your individual nutritional situation. You will receive an assessment of your nutritional situation and an individual nutrition plan including vital substance recommendations (macro and micronutrients).
- Is based on literature that has a high level of evidence. A high level of evidence (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b) provides the scientific rationale for your nutritional or vital substance recommendation (macro and micronutrients).
- Gives you suggestions for healthy eating – food lists with suitable foods – if necessary, including for you suitable vital substance supplements. The selection of suitable foods / vital substances is computer-assisted depending on your information based on classified literature according to the criteria of evidence-based medicine.
Helpful for you in the context of nutritional counseling can also be the maintenance of a food log, which clarifies the exposure times of sugary or acidic food and the total daily duration of a tooth-damaging oral environment. Once you have gained an idea of the time sequences, you can take more conscious countermeasures by selecting foods and the right timing of dental care.