Nutrition and Oral Medicine (Nutrition and Health)

xSeries Editor’s Introductioning detailed data in well-organized tables so that readers have important information attheir fingertips.The last section of the book includes two unique chapters on “Nutrition and OralMedicine: Education and Practice.” The first chapter explores the value of using a noveltool, the “Oral Nutrition Health Risk Assessment” tool in the evaluation of patients. Byusing the tabulated set of questions, the health care provider can determine the patient’shealth history, use of drugs and dietary supplements, and eating habits. This tool can bevery effective in identifying some of the serious eating disorders such as bulimia andanorexia that can be hidden from family members or never identified early in the diseaseprocess by other health providers. The emphasis in this chapter is on the importance ofthe team approach, including the dietitian, to have a full evaluation of the dental patient.The final chapter provides an integrated plan for the inclusion of nutrition informationin the dental education process. Nutrition education should be a core component of bothpre- and postdoctoral education and continue to be updated with targeted continuingeducation courses. Tables are provided that indicate the required areas of focus for boththe nutrition and dental professionals in order for the dental education to be optimal.Certainly, this comprehensive volume could easily serve as the text for such educationprograms.Hallmarks of all the chapters include complete definitions of terms with the abbreviationfully defined for the reader and consistent use of terms between chapters. There arenumerous relevant tables, graphs, and figures, as well as up-to-date references; all chaptersinclude a conclusion section that provides the highlights of major findings. Thevolume contains a highly annotated index and within chapters, readers are referred torelevant information in other chapters.This important text provides practical, data-driven resources based on the totality ofthe evidence to help the reader evaluate the critical role of nutrition, especially in at-riskpopulations, in optimizing health, and preventing diseases in the oral cavity. Theoverarching goal of the editors is to provide fully referenced information to health professionalsso they may have a balanced perspective on the value of foods and nutrientsthat are routinely consumed and how these help to maintain oral health.In conclusion, Nutrition and Oral Medicine provides dietitians and dental professionalsin many areas of research and practice with the most up-to-date, well-referenced, andeasy-to-understand volume on the importance of nutrition in optimizing oral healthcurrently available. Actually, all health professionals can find valuable information aboutthe links between systemic and oral health and nutrition in this benchmark volume. Thistext will serve the reader as the most authoritative resource in the field to date and is a verywelcome addition to the Nutrition and Health series.Adrianne Bendich, PhD, FACNSeries Editor