Dietary and nutritional counseling in the prevention and control of oral disease

Diet, nutrition, and oral health are intimately interlinked. Oral tissues, like all tissues in the body, are diet- and nutrition-dependent. The diet provides the food chemicals that are converted into health and life-sustaining nutrients by metabolic processes. Much has been learned of the food sources, biochemical properties, metabolic functions, and the physiological, physical, and psychological consequences of insufficient or excessive availability of these nutrients. Enough has been learned of the interdependence of diet, nutrition, and dental disease to warrant including diet and nutrition counseling as an integral part of a total dental care program. This article will discuss various oral diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies and review some of the types of counseling necessary to control and prevent oral disease.