Chemical Composition of Vegetables and Diet-dependent Intensity of Caries in Residents of Chervonograd (Ukraine) and Kraśnik (Poland)

Abstract BackgroundNutrition is one of the major determinants of human health. Consuming plant foods provides not only nutrients but also bioactive substances that reduce disease. The health of the oral cavity is determined by the quality of food, including vegetable food.ObjectiveTo study the effects of macro and microelements in vegetables on the status of mineralised dental tissues in relation to the hygiene and nutritional habits in 15-year-old adolescents living in Lublin Province and Lviv Oblast.MethodsThe chemical composition of plants was assessed (macro and microelements) of carrots and potatoes, vegetables consumed by 15-year-old inhabitants of Poland and Ukraine. The status of mineralised dental tissues was assessed based on caries severity expressed by the mean D3MFT number and the SIC index value. Another part of the study was a socio-medical survey focused on assessment of patients' eating habits.The respondents answered questions about the frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables and fruit juices.ResultsThe chemical composition of plants depended on the species and place of cultivation. The present study showed higher caries frequency in the group of the 15-year-olds living in Kraśnik, i.e. 88% vs. 75% in the group from Chervonograd. The intensity of caries measured by the mean D3MFT value in the 15-year-old teenagers from Chervonograd who declared everyday consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit was 3.77, and from Krasnik 5.17.ConclusionThe present results show that carrots are a good source of microelements for humans, whereas potatoes provide potassium and calcium. The impact of the frequency of consuming plant products on the health of the oral cavity, which depended on the place of youth research.