Translating the new dietary guidelines.

BACKGROUND

Diet- and nutrition-related diseases influence oral health. The U.S. government recently revisited the dietary guidelines for health promotion and chronic disease prevention. The purpose of this article is to review the new recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

The Dietary Reference Intakes are designed to identify nutrient intakes required to maintain health in people of a given age and sex. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are designed to promote healthy dietary and activity habits. MyPyramid is designed to identify individual dietary patterns to ensure adequate nutrient intakes within energy needs.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Familiarization with the new dietary guidelines will enable dental practitioners to develop diet-related oral health recommendations that are consistent with disease prevention.