Eating Advice for People Who Wear Dentures: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective: A scoping review of available advice to address eating problems experienced by people who wear dentures was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. The objective was to identify and map type, volume, and content of the available eating advice. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, and grey literature databases and Google were searched. Relevant content pertaining to study type, peer-review vs. grey literature, country of origin, advice content, and methods to evaluate effectiveness was mapped. Results: Of the 4591 records identified from peer-reviewed literature, 56 full papers underwent duplicate screening, resulting in 26 papers (from Germany (n = 1), Europe (n = 1), India (n = 2), Japan (n = 7), UK (n = 6), USA (n = 6), or other (n = 3)) being included in the review. These yielded 18 different items of relevant eating advice. Of the 258 screened websites, 63 were included, yielding 30 different items of eating advice. The most-cited advice was to eat soft food and avoid hard and sticky food, cut food into bite-sized pieces, and chew on both sides of the mouth and chew slowly and thoroughly. The identified advice was not supported by reference to peer-reviewed evidence. Advice included some conflicting messages and some advice was non-compliant with authoritative nutritional advice (e.g., avoid red meat, take a vitamin supplement). Conclusion: There is support for providing eating advice at the time of denture provision. A broad range of advice based on clinical experience to support people who wear dentures to overcome the functional limitations exists. However, the efficacy of this advice in improving diet and eating experience has not been tested.

Exploring the attitudes of general dental practitioners to providing dietary advice alongside oral rehabilitation for older adults

“…This underscores the importance of consistent evidence-based information. 29 During the interviews, some participants expressed concern about providing dietary advice, as they felt it could fall outside their "scope of practice" and they worried about the medicolegal implications of giving the wrong advice, particularly because the number of comorbidities increases with age. While this is a theoretical concern, it reflects the growing worry about litigation among dental professionals.…”

“…A recent review of the eating advice provided for denture wearers showed that some advice lacked an evidence base, while other advice contained contradictory messages. This underscores the importance of consistent evidence‐based information 29 . During the interviews, some participants expressed concern about providing dietary advice, as they felt it could fall outside their “scope of practice” and they worried about the medicolegal implications of giving the wrong advice, particularly because the number of comorbidities increases with age.…”

Dental prosthesis use is associated with higher protein intake among older adults with tooth loss

“…From a clinical viewpoint, our results suggest that prosthodontic treatment is an effective treatment option to maintain protein intake in later life and prevent frailty or sarcopenia in older adults with tooth loss. However, it is known that the provision of a new dental prosthesis alone does not improve the diet of patients, and dental professionals should concurrently offer their patients eating advice when the new dental prosthesis is provided to them 31 . From a public health view point, previous studies have demonstrated socioeconomic disparities in dental access and the use of dental prostheses among older adults 32–34 .…”

“…However, it is known that the provision of a new dental prosthesis alone does not improve the diet of patients, and dental professionals should concurrently offer their patients eating advice when the new dental prosthesis is provided to them. 31 From a public health view point, previous studies have demonstrated socioeconomic disparities in dental access and the use of dental prostheses among older adults. [32][33][34] Therefore, an oral healthcare system that enables all people to obtain appropriate dental treatment is required.…”

Comparative Analysis of Edentulism in a Sample of Mexican Adults with and without Type 2 Diabetes

“…Tooth loss and edentulism negatively impact people’s nutritional intake. People with more severe tooth loss may consume significantly fewer basic nutrients from fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, and protein, compared to those without severe tooth loss [ 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Evidence from observational studies showed that tooth loss and edentulism may be associated with multiple adverse health effects [ 15 ].…”