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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
[Nutrition and oral health]
Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina1, Pietro Messina
1Sezione di Odontostomatologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Stomatologiche G. Messina, Università, Palermo. scardina@odonto.unipa.it
Abstract:
Diet plays a key role in oral disease prevention. The aims of this report were to review the causes and consequences of a poor diet and its interrelationship with oral health. The first signs of micronutrient deficiencies are often manifest in the oral tissues. Consequently, the dentist has a considerable role in the early diagnosis of malnutrition. Furthermore, optimizing oral health is important in maximizing functional capacity to consume a healthful and varied diet. A varied diet is, otherwise, fundamental to save oral health.
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