Nutrition and Periodontium- Bridging the Link

The first essential of life is the maintenance of the internal environment of the cell, and this is achieved by complex regulatory mechanisms in which 'food nutrients play a major role. It supplies the energy required for the work done by the individual and also for growth and reproduction. The constant synthesis of tissues taking place during periods of growth and even in the fully grown adult requires the supply of the basic building materials such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Food nutrients not only control the growth, development and physiological activity of periodontal tissues but also dictate the fate of these tissues in the event of infection and injury by influencing their response to the effects of the hostile local factors. So periodontal health cannot be achieved unless nutrient deficiency is corrected along with the other phases of treatment. Therefore, the dental health professional therefore has a responsibility not only to remove the local gingival plaque and calculus irritants but also to help the patients increase the systemic resistance of the periodontal tissues by nutrition counseling.