Researching the impact of oral health on diet and nutritional status: Methodological issues

Moynihan, Paula; Thomason, Mark; Walls, Angus; Gray-Donald, Katherine; Morais, Jose A.; Ghanem, Henry; Wollin, Stephanie; Ellis, Janice; Steele, Jimmy; Lund, James; Feine, Jocelyne

doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2008.12.003

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Volume 37, Issue 4 , Pages 237-249, April 2009

Researching the impact of oral health on diet and nutritional status: Methodological issues

Paula Moynihan
- School of Dental Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom
- Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom
- Corresponding author at: School of Dental Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom.
Mark Thomason
- School of Dental Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Angus Walls
- School of Dental Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom
Katherine Gray-Donald
- School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Jose A. Morais
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Henry Ghanem
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Stephanie Wollin
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Janice Ellis
- School of Dental Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom
Jimmy Steele
- School of Dental Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom
James Lund
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Jocelyne Feine
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Received 19 May 2008; received in revised form 5 December 2008; accepted 13 December 2008.

Abstract

Objectives

Assessment of the impact of dental function on diet and nutritional status requires robust methodologies and a standardised approach to increase accuracy of results and to facilitate cross study comparisons. The objectives of this paper are: to report the outcomes of a consensus workshop that critically reviewed publications reporting on dietary methodologies in relation to the impact of oral health on nutrition; to highlight future directions for research and; to make recommendations for appropriate use of methodologies for future research.

Data

Data relevant to nutrition and dental status published from 1980 to 2005 in English were presented at the consensus workshop for discussion and appraisal.

Sources

Relevant papers were retrieved through PubMed. Relevant texts were obtained from the library at Newcastle University, UK.

Study selection

A purposive sample of original articles that illustrated the application of a range of nutritional methodologies to the study of oral health impacts was identified. Original flagship texts on nutritional methodologies were reviewed.

Conclusions

Numerous studies have shown an association between loss of teeth and inferior diet. Further research is required to elucidate the impact of novel approaches to prosthetic rehabilitation and the impact of contemporaneous dietary and dental intervention on diet, nutritional status, disease progression and quality of life.

The recommendation of the consensus workshop was that future studies should adopt a comprehensive approach to the assessment of nutrition that encompasses measurement of diet, body composition, biochemical indices of intake and levels of nutrients, and functional biomarkers of disease.

Keywords: Dietary assessment, Nutritional status, Anthropometry, Functional biomarkers of nutritional status, Tooth loss, Prosthetic rehabilitation