DEHY1414

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of nutrition and the relationship to dental hygiene. Course content includes: the role of nutrients in the maintenance of normal health, the effects of nutrition on disease, nutrition in the human life cycle, food behaviors and diet. The course will analyze the links between oral health and diet and how to assess the nutritional status of dental patients. Students will learn about sugars, acids, caries cycle, the prevention of tooth decay, and the benefits of fluorides to prevent tooth decay. Students will complete a self-analysis of their own diets and learn how to develop a nutritional care plan for dental patients.Student Learning Outcomes

• Explain the therapeutic value of foods in the normal diet.
• Apply basic nutrition principles through the lifespan and with ethnic groups to recognize food choices that may be different.
• Explain the role of sugar in cause of tooth decay.
• Identify nutritional factors in tooth development and maintenance.
• Discuss the implications of specific foods and nutrients on oral health and systemic health.
• Complete a nutritional self-assessment of diet and eating habits.
• Analyze a food diary of a dental patient.
• Develop a care plan for a patient with a high sugar diet and potential for tooth decay.
• Compare and contrast the use topical versus systemic fluoride in preventing tooth decay.