The influence of alimentation and dental hygiene on caries development

The cause of tooth decay is bacteria commonly present in the oral cavity, sugars, dental plaque and poor dental hygiene. It is a pathological process of microbial origin that affects and destroys hard dental tissues. A healthy and balanced diet, including fluids, plays an important role in maintaining oral health. At the same time, it is important to limit the excessive intake of sugar in drinks and sweets, which has a significant role in the development of tooth decay. Nowadays, the most emphasis is placed on primary prevention, which consists of preventive dental examinations, motivation and advice in the field of proper oral hygiene. The first objective was to determine the relationship between eating habits and tooth decay in adolescents. The second objective is closely related to the first point, where the object was to find out the connection between the consumption of various drinks and tooth decay in adolescents. The last objective was to reveal the most important areas of oral hygiene and nutrition in which it is necessary to educate the adolescents. The practical part of this bachelor thesis was processed using the method of qualitative research with the help of an in-depth and semi-structured interview. The research group consisted of four nurses from the dentist's office, one dental hygienist and five adolescents. All interviews took place in February and March 2023. Individual interviews were recorded on a recording device and subsequently transcribed verbatim into Microsoft Word. Then the data was analyzed and categorized in the analytical program ATLAS.ti. The results were categorized into five categories. Categorization: Education from the nurse's perspective, Adolescent education, Adolescent awareness, Prevention, Adolescent nutrition. The categories are further divided based on the resulting answers of the female respondents into further subcategories.The results are divided into diagrams and described in detail. The research showed that the most important tool for removing dental plaque is a toothbrush and interdental products, together with an appropriately chosen brushing technique. It is also very important to educate the adolescent in the area of eating and drinking, especially with regard to sugary drinks. Furthermore, the research showed that adolescents comply with regular dental hygiene and undergo preventive dental examinations once every six months. At the same time, they are aware which foods are unfavorable for tooth decay