Correlation between type of diet and periodontal parameters

Introduction: Investigations about the Correlation between type of diet and periodontal parameters are very few and with less sample size. The main objective of this study was to establish the possible co-relation between type of diet and Wear patterns (erosion, abrasion, attrition) periodontal status (gingival index, periodontal pocket depth), plaque index and oral health parameters along with the help of questionnaire survey. Materials and Method: Sample sizes of 260 healthy male and female subjects within the age group of 18-50 years were equally distributed into vegetarians and non-vegetarian groups. Clinical checkup will include examination of all the parameters. A questionnaire has been prepared for the participants for assessing the oral habits, dietary habits and the knowledge of oral health care. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted using pearson chi-square tests Results: Periodontal findings comparing both the groups were not statistically significant. In the questionnaire survey, it was found that halitosis was greater in non-vegetarians when compared to vegetarians which were statistically significant. The remaining findings were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Type of diet does not really affect the periodontal status of an individual. Both vegetarians and non-vegetarians show almost same level of gingival index, plaque index and periodontal pocket depths with dental education slightly lower in non-vegetarians than vegetarians with equal amount of regular dental visits. However, with proper oral hygiene procedures such as vertical brushing, brushing twice daily, using interdental aids and regular dental visits alone one can maintain good periodontal health regardless of diet being followed.