_____________________________________ Caries-Prone Patients: Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention
Q : How do you clean in between your teeth? A : I use that flosser thing three times a day. Q : Do you snack? A : Not very often. Q : What do you drink when you’re thirsty? A : Water.
educate hundreds of thousands of people. Taking the time to discuss nutrition with patients will pay the dividend of hav- ing healthier patients who truly value their teeth and overall health. As patients come to understand the relationship between oral health and systemic health, the impact of their dietary choices on both will become evident.
RESOURCES
Discussion Dental professionals commonly see this scenario. The patient knows all the right answers, and you can’t dispute his oral health routine, as his periodontal condition is excellent. How- ever, he does have recurrent decay on tooth #8. What follow-up questions might you choose to ask to fill in the blanks about the role his nutritional intake may play in this case? Recalling the four factors necessary for the caries disease progression—susceptible tooth, diet, time, and bacteria—you need to be a bit of a detective. Mr. Ribeiro’s history of dental care also includes several crowns and a recent restoration. This tells you that his teeth are susceptible. He maintains a clean mouth, or so he says, so you must consider that he removes the oral bacteria from his teeth regularly. Diet may be the culprit. A good way to begin with a patient who knows all the right answers and does not want to be lectured might be to go through your caries risk assessment out loud. Begin by tell- ing him why you are asking these questions. Tooth decay is preventable, and you want to help him prevent the need for more costly crowns and fillings in the future. Ask him to tell you what he has eaten in the past 24 hours. Share with him that even though he brushes three times a day, the bacteria and acids on his teeth will eventually begin to demineralize his teeth. Often, letting that fact form a picture in a patient’s head can spur questions or even solutions for reducing the risk. Change is most likely to happen when the patient is a partner in the change. CONCLUSION Many patients take oral health for granted and will benefit from learning that caries is a preventable disease, and their dietary choices can either promote the progression of disease or aid in preventing caries development. Addressing nutritional choices during dental visits can positively affect patients and can help them make healthier choices for their entire fam- ily. Dental professionals as a community have the ability to
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 1-800-877-1600 http://www.eatright.org
American Dental Association: Diet and Dental Health http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/d/diet-and- dental-health American Dental Association: Diet and Nutrition http://www.ada.org/en/advocacy/advocacy-issues/diet-and- nutrition Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Healthy Schools: School Nutrition https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolnutri- tion.htm Minnesota Dental Association: Sip All Day, Get Decay! http://www.sipallday.org National Association of Nutrition Professionals 1-800-342-8037 http://www.nanp.org National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute We Can! Parent Tips: Making Healthier Food Choices http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/ wecan/downloads/tip_choices.pdf U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines Advisory Report http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015 U.S. Department of Agriculture ChooseMyPlate http://www.choosemyplate.gov
WORKS CITED https://qr2.mobi/caries-prone
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