Effects of raw vegan diet on periodontal and dental parameters

Fazele Atarbashi-Moghadam; Soofieh Moallemi-Pour; Saede Atarbashi-Moghadam; Soran Sijanivandi; Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban

doi:10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_161_19

Effects of raw vegan diet on periodontal and dental parameters

Tzu Chi Med J. 2020 Jan 17;32(4):357-361. doi: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_161_19. eCollection 2020 Oct-Dec.

Authors

Fazele Atarbashi-Moghadam¹, Soofieh Moallemi-Pour², Saede Atarbashi-Moghadam³, Soran Sijanivandi², Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Periodontics, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Dental Research Center, Research Institute of Dental Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Proteomics Research Center, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Objectives: Macronutrients and micronutrients present in different types of diet could influence different aspects of both inflammatory and immune responses; thereby, diets could influence oral health and the periodontal condition. The raw vegan diet is a subset of vegetarianism in which only uncooked plant-derived foods are consumed. The present study's aim was to evaluate the effect of the raw vegan diet on periodontal and dental health parameters.

Materials and methods: A total of 118 participants (59 raw vegans and 59 controls) were interviewed about their level of education and oral health habits. Samples of unstimulated whole saliva were collected for pH analysis, and dental and periodontal parameters were examined. Then, statistical analysis was performed.

Results: Raw vegans had better oral hygiene (P = 0.001). The decayed-missing-filling indices were relatively equal in both groups. The probing depth, bleeding on probing (BOP), and simplified oral hygiene index were significantly lower in raw vegans (P = 0.047, P = 0.017, and P = 0.001, respectively). Multiple regression analyses disclosed that probing depth and BOP were significantly related to debris index.

Conclusion: Based on this study's results, it can be presumed that the better periodontal condition in raw vegans is a result of their better oral care and lifestyle.

Keywords: Dental caries; Diet; Oral hygiene; Periodontitis; Vegetarian.