Should we be giving more dietary advice?
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 15th February 2022
Generally, when we see patients presenting with problems such as erosion or caries, we take the time to dispense some form of dietary advice. After all, advising patients about avoiding fizzy drinks, sugary snacks and other consumables that are likely to impact their oral health is standard, but could we be going further with our recommendations for a more holistic approach?
As I was looking through some news articles the other day, I came across an interesting piece detailing how palm oil, a common ingredient in a huge array of foods, could potentially be responsible for a large number of cancer cases.[i] If we could arm patients with this knowledge, would this be key to getting them to adopt better dietary health?
Of course, I’m not saying that dentists should have sole responsibility. My thinking is that as patients (hopefully) come to see us already, there is a chance that we can deliver this sort of advice and potentially help to improve diets, reducing not only oral health problems, but also general health conditions. Indeed, it’s far more likely that someone attending the dentist will keep coming, while convincing someone to visit a dietician or other professional for this sort of support may not be as successful. Perhaps it’s a case of making a team effort and working with experts across the board to ensure that all of us can help patients achieve better health through diet, exercise and more.
Incidentally, I’ve spoken before about how research has proven time and time again that general health and oral health are linked. So, while our advice about interdental cleaning, regular toothbrushing and other oral hygiene maintenance is inevitably helping people, is there any reason why we couldn’t take this advice one step further in dietary information?
It wouldn’t take a huge adjustment, and as we already have excellent team members such as dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental nurses working with us who can help share this messaging, it wouldn’t even take a lot to implement this measure.
Ultimately, now that we know a more holistic approach is probably key to maximising health, there is a lot of scope for us as professionals to think outside the box, even if it’s just taking small steps such as dietary advice that extends beyond the impact certain food has on the oral cavity.
It’s definitely a subject to think about, and could certainly be a step forward to providing a more inclusive form of healthcare in the future. Obviously, with our jobs being so full-on as it is, this sort of step would have to be properly integrated and rewarded, but it’s a subject that could present food for thought (excuse the pun), especially as we have regular access to patients unlike other healthcare professionals who are unlikely to see people on such a regular basis.
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[i] Express. ‘Huge Breakthrough’ The Everyday Food Item Potentially Causing 90% of Cancer Cases. Link: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1519631/Cancer-risk-fatty-acid-palm-oil-metastasis-mouth-skin [Last accessed December 21].
