Omnivore diet associated with higher risk for periodontal problems and dental caries

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-04-01T02:30:32+05:30 | Updated On 1 April 2023 11:18 AM IST

An omnivorous diet is a type of diet wherein the organism derives energy and nutrients by feeding on both animals and plants. In fact, the diet includes a wider range of food sources, such as fungi, algae, and certain microorganisms.

Researchers have found in a new study that Omnivore diet may be associated with a higher risk for periodontal problems and dental caries.

The new study has been published in the Evidence-Based Dentistry.

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the influence of the nature of diet (vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore) on the oral health status in adults.

This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using the PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases [PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL], online search engines (Google Scholar), research portals, and hand searches were performed systematically to identify studies. The last literature search was performed February 1st, 2021. Studies were included if they reported on the influence of the nature of diet on the oral health status (oral hygiene, periodontal health, dental status, and salivary function) in adults, by two investigators. Inter-investigator reliability was evaluated using Kappa (κ) statistics.

Results

• Twenty-two studies were included for data extraction and final analysis.

• The meta-analysis revealed that the bleeding on probing measure was higher in omnivores and the overall periodontal health was significantly better in vegan/vegetarians than omnivores

• Vegan/vegetarians demonstrated more dental erosion

• In adults over 60 years old, the prevalence of caries was higher in omnivores , while complete edentulism was more prevalent in vegetarians

This review reveals that adults on an omnivore diet may be associated with a higher risk for periodontal problems and dental caries, while vegetarians/vegans may be associated with a higher risk for dental erosion.

Reference:

Azzola, L.G., Fankhauser, N. & Srinivasan, M. Influence of the vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diet on the oral health status in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Dent (2023).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41432-023-00853-z

Evidence-Based Dentistryvegan dietomnivoredental cariesperiodontitis

Source : Evidence-Based Dentistry

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751