The influence of diet on dental caries

The main objective of my work was to draw attention to nutritional aspects in the formation of cavities. The thesis focuses on foods that have a proven or potential impact on tooth decay, especially saccharides. The target group consisted of 100 patients registered at the same dental office. All participants filled out a simple questionnaire that included 19 questions on not only their eating habits, but also their oral hygiene. All respondents were assigned a KPE index value, which quantifies tooth decay, according to their health records. All data was processed, compared and analyzed in Microsoft Excel, 2007. The results show that respondents who consume sweets one time and more per day show higher tooth decay (KPE 16.58) than those who consume sweets less than one time per day (KPE 9.41). A similar situation exists for the consumption of soft drinks, where drinking at least one per day is associated with a significantly higher average of KPE (16.30) than in people who indulge less in sweetened beverages (KPE 12.87). Respondents who did not sweeten their coffee, tea or other beverages and foods are much less affected by cavities (KPE 11.07) than those who sweeten them only sometimes or all the time (KPE 16.27). A major link between consuming fruits and fruit drinks and the formation of carious lesions was not detected. The data points to a connection between the intake of simple saccharides and higher tooth decay. Also demonstrable was the connection between a healthy lifestyle (frequent consumption of vegetables, eating fast food sporadically, the absence of sugary drinks and sweets) and lower incidence of cavities. A significant role is likewise played by socioeconomic factors (such as education) and, of course, the emphasis on preventing dental problems, meaning regular dental checkups, the proper technique for cleaning teeth, and good choice of dental aids