Dentistry and Oral Health

The current dental environment has suffered through many dietary changes through the years; from a more abrasive low-sugar diet to a softer, more acidic and more sugary evolved diet. This has been evidenced through the increase in dental diseases, such as caries and erosion, leading to a surge of the need for fillings and extractions. This is particularly prevalent in pediatric patients. New dietary changes have been introduced into society, such as vegetarianism and veganism. These in turn have had an impact on the dentition, such as reduced calcium intake from dairy products in veganism and a less abrasive diet in vegetarianism through the exclusion of chewing meat. Another major factor in today’s society is stress. This has a huge impact through wear and myofascial pain caused by bruxism, irregular eating patterns that could lead to dental diseases, smoking which compromise periodontal health and the increase in eating disorders, such as bulimia, which increase the risk of dental erosion. It is the aim of this presentation to evaluate the anatomical changes of the jaw, dentition and oral cavity and the progression of oral diseases through the years as diet and society have progressed.