The association between dietary habits and periodontal disease in young adult women

BackgroundAmong middle-aged and elderly individuals, dietary habits have previously been reported to differ between patients with and without periodontal disease. However, in young adults, there are only a few reports that show a correlation between nutrient/food intake and periodontal disease. Moreover, no report has assessed the correlation between dietary habits measured by a self-administered diet history questionnaire (DHQ) and periodontal disease. Therefore, we assessed the correlation between dietary habits, determined using a DHQ, and periodontal disease in young adult women who are likely to develop a periodontal disease.\n\nMethodsThe participants were 120 healthy, non-smoking, female college students (mean age, 20.4 {+/-} 1.1 years) from two universities who did not have any systemic disease. The participants were assessed for periodontal disease according to community periodontal index (CPI) and were divided into two groups. Subjects with a CPI code of 0, 1, or 2 were assigned to non-periodontal disease group (non-PD), and subjects with a CPI code of 3 or 4 were assigned to periodontal disease group (PD). Dietary habits were assessed using a DHQ. In addition, physical status, level of difficulty in chewing food (dietary hardness), masticatory performance, and quality of life (QoL) were assessed.\n\nResultsThe PD group had a significantly lower nutrient intake of minerals, fat, water-soluble vitamins, and dietary fiber than the non-PD group. In terms of food groups, the PD group consumed significantly lesser amounts of green and yellow vegetables than the non-PD group. In addition, the PD group consumed significantly lesser amounts of hard foods than the non-PD group.\n\nConclusionYoung adult women with a periodontal disease had a significantly lower nutrient/food intake than young adult women without a periodontal disease.