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Review
. 2022 Oct 25;14(21):4478.
doi: 10.3390/nu14214478.

Protein Intake and Oral Health in Older Adults-A Narrative Review

Thilini N Jayasinghe  1   2 , Sanaa Harrass  3 , Sharon Erdrich  4 , Shalinie King  2 , Joerg Eberhard  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Protein Intake and Oral Health in Older Adults-A Narrative Review

Thilini N Jayasinghe et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Oral health is vital to general health and well-being for all ages, and as with other chronic conditions, oral health problems increase with age. There is a bi-directional link between nutrition and oral health, in that nutrition affects the health of oral tissues and saliva, and the health of the mouth may affect the foods consumed. Evidence suggests that a healthy diet generally has a positive impact on oral health in older adults. Although studies examining the direct link between oral health and protein intake in older adults are limited, some have explored the relationship via malnutrition, which is also prevalent among older adults. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) may be associated with poor oral health, dental caries, enamel hypoplasia, and salivary gland atrophy. This narrative review presents the theoretical evidence on the impact of dietary protein and amino acid composition on oral health, and their combined impact on overall health in older adults.

Keywords: amino acid composition; older adults; oral health; periodontitis; protein intake.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A summary of known and putative links between food and protein intake and oral health in older adults.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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