Mediterranean diet and its relationship with oral pathology.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) is associated with a lower prevalence of oral and systemic diseases and to investigate the relationship between MD adherence and oral health parameters, including dental caries, periodontal disease, salivary flow, and salivary pH, in a multicenter population of adults.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We enrolled 232 patients, recorded their medical histories, and assessed their adherence to the MD using the "Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener" questionnaire. We also randomly performed an intraoral examination on 43 patients from the adherence group and 30 patients from the non-adherence group.

RESULTS

We found a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of systemic conditions, such as cancer (p = 0.045) and cardiovascular disease (p = 0.02), between patients adhering to the MD and those who did not. Additionally, stimulated pH (p = 0.019), periodontal disease stage (p = 0.009), decayed, missing, and filled teeth (p = 0.048), and stimulated sialometry (p = 0.002) were also correlated with MD adherence.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that adherence to the MD acts as a protective factor against both oral and systemic diseases. An associative relationship exists between certain oral and systemic diseases and adherence to the MD.