Correlation between Health and Nutritional Status in Geriatric Population

Introduction Impaired oral health interferes with the masticatory ability of an individual causing dietary restrictions, resulting in decreased intake for key nutrients, i.e. iron, fiber, vitamin C, etc. Therefore, the main aim of this survey was to assess whether the oral condition of geriatric population is directly or indirectly related to the intake of selected nutrients. Aim It is presumed that the number of teeth affect the type of food consumed by an individual. This choice of food may compromise the nutritional value of the diet. The aim of this study is to find a correlation between the nutritional statuses of an individual to the number of teeth present. Materials and methods The subjects from the local population available were equally divided on the basis of number of posterior occluding pairs (POP) present and the detailed information about the quantity and quality of food consumed was collected and then this available data was converted to nutritional intake value and then statistical analysis was undertaken. Results It is seen that body mass index (BMI) has no correlation with the dental status of an individual, but nutrient intake is directly related to the number of POPs of natural teeth. Conclusion In the present study, it was observed that edentulous participants consumed less dietary and crude fibers and consumed more saturated fat and cholesterol than participants with 21 or more teeth. Therefore, one must actively improve the oral care throughout his life to further increase the overall quality of life. How to cite this article Kumar D, Rastogi N, Madan R. Correlation between Health and Nutritional Status in Geriatric Population. World J Dent 2012;3(4):297-302.