Role of nutrition in the oral health of the aging patient.

The food, diet and nutrition needs of the elderly patient should be considered a part of his total supportive management. It is incumbent upon the dentist to provide the patient with this nutritional information for optimal oral health, because what is good for preventing oral disease will be equally good for preventing general illness. Essentially, if the clinician keeps in mind that the calorie needs for an older patient are less but all other nutrient requirements are as high in old age as they were in youth, the geriatric patient will be well treated. Certainly there are distinctive environmental, physiological and psychological problems that must be considered, but these should not be imponderable. The best possible general advice is that daily diets should include meat, milk, vegetables and fruit, and bread. We suggest an emphasis on good quality protein foods and a generous selection of vegetables and fruits and somewhat less stress on fats, starches, and sugars to avoid an excess of calories. For the individual geriatric new denture wearer we might add that each diet prescription should be based on an analysis and evaluation of his individual food habits (the "why" of the diet) and actual food intake (the "what" of the diet). Furthermore, the physical nature of the diet should be consistent with the patient's experience and ability to swallow, chew, and bite with his dental prosthesis.