RELATIONSHIP OF DIET TO ROOT CARIES

A Nutrition and Oral Health Study was conducted on 141 middle-aged and elderly adults (54% female and 46% male; aged 47-83 y, (x) over bar = 67; 51% college educated; and 89% white). This study reports on the r elationship between root caries and diet. Nutritional composition was derived from two 3-d food diaries. Root caries was measured according to the 1985 Adult Survey Diagnostic Criteria of the National Institute of Dental Research. When the individuals were segregated by their roo t DFS (decayed and filled surfaces) status into highest (greater than or equal to 7) and lowest (less than or equal to 1) quartiles, the suc rose consumption was significantly higher in the higher DFS group. Mea n energy consumption and mean number of teeth were the same in both gr oups. When the individuals were segregated by sucrose consumption into highest (greater than or equal to 89 g) and lowest (less than or equa l to 31 g) quartiles, DFS root status was significantly higher (P < 0. 01) in the highest quartile group (7 g) vs the lowest group (4 g). By using data from subjects with two food diaries, a stepwise-linear-regr ession model for root caries showed that 4.2% of the variance for root caries was explained by sucrose, 2.8% by plaque, 3.8% by total number of teeth, and 5.6% by gingival recession. These data suggest that roo t caries has a similar dietary etiology to coronal caries.