The purpose of the study is to assess the effectiveness of nutritional counselling on added sugar consumption, frequency of snacking and caries experiences expressed as Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth score (DMFT).
The study involves two visits: the first lasting approximately 30-45 minutes, and the second about 15 minutes that occurs 2 weeks after the first visit. Procedures and Activities. Subjects will be assigned to either the control or intervention group by the toss of a coin. Subjects will provide information about their personal health history, including age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Subjects will undergo an oral examination to assess dental health through a DMFT score, which measures decayed, missing, and filled teeth. Additionally, the daily added sugar consumption will be calculated using an app called "Sugar Intake calculator." For the control group, no further nutritional advice will be given, while participants in the intervention group will receive additional guidance on sugar consumption using a tool called Stephan's curve. A log will be given to the subjects to track their daily snacking frequency and what type and amount of snack it entailed. After two weeks, subjects will return for a follow-up to evaluate any changes in dental health, sugar consumption, and snacking habits.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
100
Nutritional counseling based on Stephan's Curve. The Stephan's curve is a diagram that shows how the acidity of the oral cavity changes with consumption of food, specifically with added sugar. A laminated Stephan's curve will be used to show the drop of pH (acidity) based on the subject's reported daily consumption of food and snacks. Recommendations will be provided on a balanced diet according to the American Dental Association guidelines and recommendations on reducing the frequency of snacking.
Loma Linda University Health
Loma Linda, California, United States
Change in snacking frequency between baseline and 2 weeks
Subjects will self-report the snacking frequency per day at baseline and at 2 weeks. Snacking is defined as any food intake besides breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Time frame: Time frame is two weeks: from baseline to the 2 weeks follow-up visit
Change in amount of added sugar consumption during snacking between baseline and 2 weeks.
Added sugar consumption will be calculated using the "Sugar intake calculator" app at baseline and at 2 weeks follow-up. The sugar intake calculator is a free app that can generate the amount of added sugar in snacks, providing the amount in grams. Subjects will self-report the snacks that they have been consuming. The added sugar threshold for cavities is set at 40 gram/day.
Time frame: Time frame is two weeks: from baseline to the 2 weeks follow-up visit
Change in DMFT score between baseline two weeks
Caries experiences is expressed as Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth and can range from 0 to 28. The higher the score the higher the caries experiences. The study investigators are going visually examine subjects' teeth and determine the DMFT score.
Time frame: Time frame is two weeks: from baseline to the 2 weeks follow-up visit
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