Which is a stronger indicator of dental caries: oral hygiene, food, or beverage? A clinical study.
Dental caries is a multifactorial disease with various risk factors. Oral hygiene and dietary factors--specifically, the consumption of snacks and beverages with added sugars--have been shown to be risk indicators for this disease. It is critical for dental professionals to understand the relative roles of each of these food categories in the dental caries process. This article presents a cross-sectional study of 76 people living in a Southern Illinois fluoridated community. The amount of sugar-sweetened beverages, snack food consumption, plaque index, and age showed statistically significant relationships with the outcome variable--dental caries (P < 0.05). The results indicated that dietary factors and oral hygiene both contribute equally to dental caries in young adults living in a fluoridated community. Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was a much stronger indicator of dental caries than snack food consumption in our study population.
Poonam
P
Jain
Julie J
JJ
Gary
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult