Division of Food, Nutrition & Dietetics, School of Bioscience, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
School of Food & Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2021 Aug;34(4):705-714. doi: 10.1111/jhn.12842. Epub 2021 Jan 7.
Oral health is affected by dietary practices and may impact quality of life. Collaboration between dietetics and dental professionals for oral health promotion and disease prevention is recommended. The present study aimed to determine the knowledge and practice of dentists and dietitians on diet and dental health.
The study comprised a cross-sectional online questionnaire, which was disseminated electronically to dentists and dietitians in the UK and Ireland, via national networks. Questions assessed participants' knowledge of the cariogenicity of different foods, snacking behaviours, familiarity with UK dietary guidelines, dietary advice and their recommendations for cross-professional consistency.
In total, 418 responses were received (60% dentists, 40% dietitians). Inter-profession knowledge differences were observed for the cariogenicity of sports drinks (p < 0.001), chocolate/confectionary (p < 0.001), yoghurt (p < 0.001) and sugar-coated breakfast cereals plus milk (p < 0.0001). Dentists showed greater concern over the timings and frequency of food consumption than dietitians. A greater proportion of dentists felt nutrition and oral health counselling is a key component of regular patient care (58.4% versus 8.2%, p < 0.001). Only 18% of dietitians, compared to 56% of dentists, considered that they had received sufficient training about diet and dental health. Both professions indicated the need for multi-disciplinary training.
Dietitians and dentists differ with respect to their knowledge about the effects of snacks and snacking behaviours on dental health, as well as how they prioritise this in their clinical practice. Both professions show a willingness to work collaboratively to ensure accurate and consistent advice-giving and expertise-sharing.
口腔健康受到饮食实践的影响，并可能影响生活质量。建议营养学家和牙科专业人员合作，以促进口腔健康和预防疾病。本研究旨在确定牙医和营养师对饮食与口腔健康的知识和实践。
该研究包括一项横断面在线问卷调查，通过国家网络向英国和爱尔兰的牙医和营养师电子分发。问题评估了参与者对不同食物致龋性、零食行为、对英国饮食指南的熟悉程度、饮食建议以及跨专业一致性建议的了解程度。
共收到 418 份回复（60%为牙医，40%为营养师）。在运动饮料（p<0.001）、巧克力/糖果（p<0.001）、酸奶（p<0.001）和糖衣早餐麦片加牛奶（p<0.0001）的致龋性方面，观察到了专业间的知识差异。牙医比营养师更关注食物摄入的时间和频率。更多的牙医认为营养和口腔健康咨询是常规患者护理的关键组成部分（58.4%对 8.2%，p<0.001）。只有 18%的营养师，而 56%的牙医认为他们接受了足够的关于饮食和口腔健康的培训。两个专业都表示需要进行多学科培训。
营养师和牙医在零食和零食行为对口腔健康的影响方面的知识存在差异，以及他们在临床实践中如何优先考虑这一点。两个专业都表现出愿意合作，以确保准确和一致的建议和专业知识的共享。
