ON THE RELATIONS BETWEEN DIETARY HABITS, NUTRIENTS, AND ORAL HEALTH IN WOMEN AT THE AGE OF RETIREMENT

Intake of energy, nutrients, food items, and various oral health-relat ed factors were studied in 116 women about 5 months before the age of their occupational retirement. The results were analyzed with oral hea lth aspects as both independent and dependent variables. Edentulous wo men had higher intake of fat and higher coffee consumption than dentat e ones, and dentate subjects with 1-20 teeth had higher body mass inde x than those with greater-than-or-equal-to 21 remaining teeth. Individ uals with high intake of energy and carbohydrates had more decayed too th surfaces than those with low. but different intakes of other nutrie nts were not reflected in the studied tooth variables. Daily consumers of sweet beverages and sugar in coffee/tea had more decayed tooth sur faces than non-consumers. Nineteen of the 116 women with 'inadequate' diet did not differ from the others with regard to any of the studied tooth variables. Women with self-assessed chronic oral dryness had hig her intake of energy, protein, iron, thiamine, and vitamin D than thos e without this problem. Smoking habits were reflected in the DMFS inde x but not in any of the other studied oral health-related variables. I t was concluded that intake of energy- and sugar-rich products, freque ncies of intakes, and oral dryness seem to be of greater importance fo r oral health than intake of specific nutrients, at least in this spec ific cohort.