The link between good nutrition and good health has been well established since 500 BC when Hippocrates observed “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food”. In respect of oral health, the dental health profession has focussed predominantly on the link between poor nutrition (sugar laden diets) and the incidence of dental cavities. The profession has not focussed on the critical role of nutrition in supporting good oral health.
A survey of dentists in general practice, conducted by The School of Dental Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne 2007, found that 66% of the respondent dentists believed that nutrition did in fact play a role in periodontal (gum and supporting structures) health. Dietary factors that were considered most important were Vitamin C (70% of respondents), fruit and vegetables (66% of respondents) and other anti-oxidant vitamins (45% of respondents). In addition 44% of respondent dentists revealed that they recommended nutritional supplements to patients.
Dr Paula Moynihan (Reader in Nutrition & Oral Health, Newcastle University) notes that “recent research … has focussed on the potential therapeutic role of anti-oxidants in the prevention and treatment of periodontitis …”