DIET – A pointer to dental and oral health

Nutrition is expanding to reach all components of health care including dentistry. Diet can affect oral health via numerous mechanisms. The health of oral tissues can be affected by nutrition, diet and oral habits. The documented associations between oral health and systemic health demonstrates the need for dentists to become more knowledgeable about systemic nutrition which affects the normal growth, development and maintenance of the dental structures, promotes the immunity necessary  for wound healing and affects resistance to oral infections. Certain foods have both beneficial and disease causing capacity, potentially affecting the teeth and other oral structures. This article discusses the impact of dietary variables on multiple aspects of oral health.