Validity of a dietary interviewing method for use in caries prevention

A suitable method for determining the usual diet of an individual is a prerequisite for dietary counseling in caries prevention. The purpose of this study was to develop a method that was able to obtain relevant information on the dietary habits of an individual and to test the validity of this method. During a series of interviews a dietary history interview was therefore developed with special emphasis on dietary factors known to be important in caries etiology, such as frequency of eating and frequency and duration of sugar intake at meals and in-between meals. The validity of the method with regard to caries-related factors was tested by interviewing 49 caries-active and 55 caries-inactive 14-yr-old Danish schoolchildren. It was possible to detect a higher frequency of food intake and a more frequent and long-lasting use of sugar in the caries-active group. No difference was found in the consumption of sticky sugars between the two groups. With the present method it should be possible to pinpoint dietary problems in caries-active persons, so that dietary advice can be given in quantitative terms.